Mr. Stink

It's a cute little movie about a young girl who invites an intelligent derelict to sleep in the shed in her backyard. In so doing, her eyes are opened to the needs of homeless people everywhere.

It also includes several somewhat silly references to how bad he smells, some poor computer animation displaying his ability to clear rooms with his smell, toss his smell at people he doesn't like, etc. He's like a superhero.

All of that is fine and good, nothing wrong with it. It's entertaining for kids I'm sure.

However, if I DID have any children I wouldn't let them watch this nonsense, because it's a very thinly veiled propaganda video, displaying some particularly shallow political views.

It's clearly very left-wing (or whatever they call it in Britain, I'm from the U.S. so I may have the word wrong), and practices the usual tactic of making the other side (right-wingers) look like silly idiots who just happen to be insensitive to the needs of other people. But Oh! Once our eyes are opened we all want to help the homeless! In reality, such issues are far more complicated and require a bit more thought.

If you don't feel that you can adequately explain political topics to your children, then do them a favor and DON'T let them watch socialized propaganda designed to steer them in whatever political direction is currently deemed most popular.

You have public education for that.

This was the first David Walliams book adapted for TV and is also available in 3D as well.

Chloe is a young schoolgirl who is a bit of a loner. Her school friends are horrid, her younger sister is more adored by her mother because she is a child prodigy and her mother is running for Parliament as a right wing MP.

Chloe is close to her father (Johnny Vegas) who was once a rock musician. She forms a bond with a vagrant called Mr Stink (Hugh Bonneville) and his faithful dog.

Mr Stink so called because of his foul odour. He is a difficult man to get on with and his decline to living in the the streets is due to tragic circumstances. You feel with his plummy accent and wise words that he once enjoyed better days.

However Mr Stink becomes a media sensation when he ends up gate crashing a live TV interview with Chloe's mother and even the Prime Minister (David Walliams) wants to use him to shore up his declining fortunes.

This is a likable tale that both children and adults will enjoy, it has a moral without laying on the message too thickly. Lookout for the shopkeeper who pops up in other Walliams adaptations.

I'm not usually one for contemporary children's stories....they're nothing like those told on dear old Jackanory, but this was very good. Good cast, the ever reliable Hugh Bonneville, I didn't even mind Johnny Vegas for once. The young actress playing Chloe did a fine job, and I think I should make a special mention of Duchess the dog, played by Pudsey, who turned in an Oscar winning performance, I shall look out for her in future :)

Anyway, it's a truly heart warming tale - once you get past the odd bit of moralising regarding the homeless, which although one utterly agrees with the sentiment, sometimes one just wants a story that fills one with warmth, and in the case of Mr Stink, a lovely festive glow.

A very worthy 9/10 Ho! Ho! Ho!

Over the last few years the BBC have created TV adaptations of the children's books by actor David Walliams.

This was the first and in my opinion the best. It is fast paced, warm hearted and importantly, funny. It also can boast a top notch cast in the major roles.

It's the sort of chocolate family Christmas viewing that has been missing from schedules for years, and you can see based on the success of this one why the BBC have now started repeating the trick with Walliams' other books. With mixed results too I hasten to add.

Well worth a watch if you can get a copy of the DVD.

A 2012 TV-movie aimed at kids boasts a great cast. This is warming feel-good Christmas film that puts the emphasis on family rather than wealth, gain, and possessions. 12-year-old Chloe is an unhappy child, at home her mother has no time for her, putting her energy into right-wing politics instead. Her father is yearning for his old life as a rock guitarist, and meanwhile her sister is a child prodigy who can't do wrong. School is no better as Chloe is being marginalised and bullied by Pippa and her gang of cool kids. One day Chloe strikes up a conversation with a homeless man and his dog; Mr Stink and Duchess. Chloe lets Mr Stink live in the families shed, and as they get closer as friends, she learns about how he started to fall the ladder of life to become who he is. Together they form a friendship which helps Chloe defy all odds and fight to save the dysfunctional family Christmas.

Designed for TV with no lofty ambitions beyond being repeated on lazy Christmas TV schedules, this film is a feel-good film with lots of very stereotypical characters in it. The film is based on a book by David Walliams with additional writing for the film done by Simon Nye. The plot isn't all that original, but it's more so aimed at being harmless and easy. The cast is strong in the film with Nell Tiger Free as Chloe, Hugh Bonneville as Mr Stink, and Johnny Vegas playing Dad, with Sheridan Smith playing Mum. There is also an appearance from the author of the piece, David Walliams, as well as a starring role for Pudsey the performing dog which I think won a TV talent contest in the UK.

This is the first of David Walliams' books that was converted into film. It is inoffensive enough without being ground-breaking. It touches on kids' "fart" humour with Bonneville's character virtually having stink lines emitting of him to go with the cartoon effect fart's and bad breath. In my opinion there are a lot of better feel-good Christmas films for kids - this is a bleached down and polished, safe option, where the creator added what he thought kids would like to see, rather than adding what they want. Unfortunately, Walliams is not Roald Dahl or JK Rowling, the plot is not that original and there are aspects which were not delivered well, and some things that missed the mark completely.