A Simple Wish

This movie made my daughter (7) laugh so much .. it made me laugh too just through her at first. Later I found myself remembering some of the scenes and laughing to myself. The slapstick and silliness appeal to the child in everyone. Yes, I grew up loving the Three Stooges shorts and Short uses their antics in no short supply. From the opening scenes Murrey shows us what kind on stooge he really is and it just develops from there as the film moves through it's plot. It's not a bad plot as family movies go. Kathleen Turner puts in a wicked performance as a villainous witch. The special effects are good and used in a way that compliments the funniness of the scenes and aren't just there to dazzle or put there arbitrarily. I saw a comment on another Short movie that fits the bill here too. I'm going to change it while keeping the spirit of it intact. If you don't get the meaning of slapstick humor then (there's nothing to get just ...let it happen) go rent a George Carlin standup video instead. There's some very funny scenes here and a decent plot so I'll rate this family comedy for what it is at a solid 7 stars.

Okay, 20 years on and a few of the special effects look a little clunky, but overall this is a well produced and good looking movie. You have to remind yourself that this is a children's film and forgive it a few things. Kathleen Turner is great value although underused, Martin short for me pushes his character just a little too far, you can kind of understand it, the idea of having a male fairy godmother is a good one. This certainly made me chuckle a few times and the Nebraska scene is hilarious. All in all, a very solid children's movie.

A Simple Wish isn't a perfect family film, but it is a nice, simple and amusing one. Of course the story is a tad messy and predictable, it's all a bit basic and the script on the weak and cheesy side. But kids will definitely like it, and adults might too. The special effects are decent, there is some nice photography and costumes and the pacing is good, nice and skippy as I like it. Plus there are some fun moments, one of the funniest ones was the frog-in-your-throat scene, gross but quite amusing.

The acting wasn't that bad either. Martin Short does overact a bit, but he is clearly having fun as Murray. Mara Wilson, who I really like, gives a typically charming performance. Robert Pastorelli is giving little to do though, but Ruby Dee and Francis Capra give entertaining performances. But for me, it was Kathaleen Turner who stole the show, as her performance is delightfully wicked and so captivating as the villainess of the piece. I must also say the music was surprisingly excellent. All in all, this is a nice underrated film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

8-year-old Wilson (still as sweet as when we saw her in MRS. DOUBTFIRE) wishes for her cabbie father Pastorelli to win the leading role in a Broadway adaptation of Dickens' A TALE OF TWO CITIES, and Short (still called a "fairy godmother" despite being a male) arrives to (attempt to) grant it to her. Fans of Short's comedy will get it, and even if you're not a fan of his work there are still some worthy moments; however, the story takes way too long to get going for a movie targeted at children. Capra's character also slows the movie down as Wilson's stereotypical punk older brother who's protective of his younger sister but is too cool to show it. The musical numbers in the theatre scenes are a nice touch, but it's difficult to give the movie brownie-points for it since the film itself is not a musical. Jaro Dick's set decoration and Luke Reichle's costume design is terrific. Hey! one of the Fairy Godmother's (Bunty Webb) was the 'Ay Caramba' Lady in TOMMY BOY!

** (out of four)

This was a fun film, and part of what made the film amusing was that the actors/actresses really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The story is cute, about a bumbling male fairy godmother (Martin Short) who screws up a wish to the first child under his care and has to help set things straight by rescuing magic wands from a former fairy godmother turned witch (Kathleen Turner) and her dog turned human, Boots (the great Amanda Plummer). It's a very original idea, which is rare amongst family films these days which all seem to be remakes or rehashed films. The only real downside to this film (keeping in mind, of course, that it is aimed towards kids) is that some of the dialogue is *really* cheezy and unbelievable (The 10 year-old I was watching over while watching this film kept said 'gimme a break' and 'yeah, right' at a couple of points in the film...and it's one of her favs;) The effects were fun, Martin Short was funny (most of the time...he tends to overdo it at certain moments) and Amanda Plummer really shines..all in all, a good film to watch with one's children. 7/10.