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Fun Size

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This article is about the 2012 comedy film. For the short horror film collective, see Fun Size Horror.

Fun Size
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJosh Schwartz
Written byMax Werner
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyYaron Orbach
Edited byMichael L. Sale
Wendy Greene Bricmont
Music byDeborah Lurie
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures[2]
Release date
  • October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$14 million[3]
Box office$11.4 million[3]

Fun Size is a 2012 American teen comedy film directed by Josh Schwartz, written by Max Werner, and starring Victoria Justice, Thomas Mann, Jane Levy and Chelsea Handler.

The film tells the story of a teenage girl's Halloween plans gone awry when she's made to babysit her young brother, who disappears into a sea of trick-or-treaters and with her best friends and two nerds at her side, she needs to find her brother before her mom realizes he's missing.

Fun Size was released in theaters on October 26, 2012, by Paramount Pictures. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing only $11.4 million worldwide against a $14 million budget.[4]

Plot

[edit]

In Cleveland, Ohio,[5] Joy, the widowed mother of high school senior Karen “Wren” DeSantis, is dating a 26-year-old named Keevin. Wren has her heart set on college life at New York University. Her friend April has her eyes set on social status, and Wren's nerdy friend Roosevelt has his heart set on Wren. The two girls are surprised when they find they are invited to a Halloween party by heartthrob Aaron Riley.

However, on the night Wren is supposed to go to the party, she is tasked by her mother to take her 8-year-old brother Albert trick-or-treating so she can go to a party with Keevin. The party that Keevin invites Joy to turns out to be run by his friend Nate Brueder.

At a haunted house later that night, Wren and April run into Roosevelt and his best friend Peng, at which point Albert wanders off on his own. They just miss him at a local convenience store, where he meets an employee named Fuzzy who seeks revenge against Jörgen, a mixed-martial arts fighter, who won the heart of his ex-girlfriend Lara. At Wren's urging, Roosevelt asks his parents, two semi-eccentric pacifistic lesbians, to borrow their Volvo. When they refuse, he takes the car anyway.

Wren frantically searches for Albert all over town. She suspects that he might be at a local Captain Chicken restaurant on Euclid Avenue, a fictional pirate-themed fast food chain. Again they just miss him, almost running him over while fleeing local bully Mike Puglio. Albert is then rescued by Denise, a college girl dressed as "Galaxy Scout" (a fictional anime character). After Roosevelt accidentally destroys the restaurant's mechanical chicken statue and severely damages the car, and Peng angrily shoots Puglio's drumstick with his loaded 1800's-style pistol, April escapes.

After being harassed and robbed of his candy by Jörgen at a party with Denise, and remembering Fuzzy's description of him, Albert stows away in his convertible. Wren, Roosevelt, and Peng drive off looking for him, and now April, who later calls from Aaron Riley's party with the false impression that she has found Albert. Wren, Roosevelt, and Peng arrive at the party, and the earlier duel with Puglio gives Peng some social acceptance.

Wren receives a phone call from Jörgen, who is holding Albert hostage at his house. He threatens to turn him over to the police for pulling the stunt with Fuzzy, unless she gives him a ransom of $400 in cash, which she doesn't have.

After Jörgen gives her his address, Wren desperately runs through the streets of Cleveland trying to find his house. Arriving and telling him she doesn't have the money, he calls the police but puts them on hold when Wren finds out that he is a fan of the Beastie Boys. She offers to give him the collectible jacket she inherited from her late father, which was left behind by Mike D in his recording studio, as a substitute for cash.

Jörgen seems interested in her offer, but he says he is still reporting them to the police. Then Fuzzy breaks in to rescue the boy and his older sister by throwing fireworks throughout the house. Jörgen is injured in the explosion.

Wren and Albert visit the cemetery where their father is buried and place a plastic pumpkin with flowers on his grave. Albert thanks Wren for finding and rescuing him, just before their mother picks them up and drives them home.

Roosevelt shows up at the house, stating that he will get a part-time job at Captain Chicken to pay off the damages that he caused, and declaring his feelings for Wren. Joy then takes Albert inside, allowing Wren and Roosevelt to share a kiss. Meanwhile, April wakes up to find herself in the arms of Peng and, after looking around for witnesses decides to make out with him again.

Fuzzy meets Denise, who asks him out on a date. He also reveals that his real name is Manuel. Later, Albert reveals that he secretly has been pulling prank phone calls on both his mother, sister, and his sister's friend for six months, which includes the uploading of a video to Wren's Facebook page, making fun of Wren's bug dance and "explaining rap".

Cast

[edit]
  • Victoria Justice as Karen "Wren" DeSantis
  • Jane Levy as April Martin, Wren's best friend; A persistent social climber, she would rather drag Wren to a cool kids' party over finding her brother.
  • Thomas Mann as Roosevelt Leroux, one of the nerds who helps Wren. He has a crush on Wren.
  • Thomas Middleditch[6] as Manuel "Fuzzy," a clerk whom Albert befriends, and Lara's former boyfriend[7]
  • Jackson Nicoll[6] as Albert "Spidey" DeSantis, Wren's oddball 8-year-old brother who goes around in his underwear.
  • Osric Chau as Peng Chong, Roosevelt's best friend and fellow nerd who helps Wren; he has a crush on April.
  • Chelsea Handler as Joy DeSantis, Wren and Albert's widowed mother.
  • Thomas McDonell as Aaron Riley, the most popular guy in school.
  • Riki Lindhome as Denise, a young college girl in a Galaxy Scout costume.
  • Johnny Knoxville[6][8] (uncredited) as Jörgen, a mixed-martial arts fighter who is a bully to Fuzzy and Albert.
  • Josh Pence[6][8] as Keevin (pronounced Keeven, like "Steven"), Joy's 26-year-old boyfriend.
  • Ana Gasteyer[6] as Jackie Leroux, Roosevelt's mom
  • Kerri Kenney-Silver as Barb Leroux, Roosevelt's other mom
  • Patrick de Ledebur as Mike Puglio, a school bully nicknamed the "Wedgie King."
  • James Pumphrey[6] as Nate Brueder, a friend of Keevin's who hosts a raging party in his parents' basement.
  • Holmes Osborne[6] as Mr. Brueder
  • Annie Fitzpatrick as Mrs. Brueder
  • Peter Navy Tuiasosopo[6] as Mr. Mahani (Samoan man)
  • Willam Belli as Qwerty
  • Abby Elliott as Lara, Jörgen's girlfriend[7]
  • Cooper Ross as zombie doctor

Production

[edit]

In January 2011, it was announced that Josh Schwartz would direct the film as his feature film directorial debut.[9] By the spring of 2011, the lead role had been offered to Victoria Justice,[10] and Jane Levy had entered talks for her role in the film, with Paramount announcing initial plans for the project to be shot in Minnesota.[11][12] The location was changed to Michigan and later to Cleveland, Ohio.[13] When the production moved to Cleveland, a home was scouted and selected in Cleveland, Ohio. In June 2011, Chelsea Handler entered negotiations to co-star in the film.[14][6][15][16] The film was released on October 26, 2012.[14][8][17] Director Josh Schwartz discounted Internet claims that he was playing a convenience-store clerk. "No," he said shortly before the movie opened. "I get asked about it a lot, but that's an IMDb mistake. There are convenience-store clerks in the movie – just none played by me!"[18]

Release

[edit]

A music video of Carly Rae Jepsen's "This Kiss" was shown prior to the film's release in theaters and Fun Size's star Thomas McDonell made a cameo in the music video.[19] Fun Size opened at #10, earning $4.1 million over its first weekend at 3,014 theaters and averaging about $1,361 per venue. The film earned $11.4 million and is the lowest grossing wide released film from Nickelodeon Movies.[20] Fun Size was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 19, 2013.[21]

Reception

[edit]

Fun Size received negative reviews from critics, several of whom criticized the adult humor and sexual content[22] despite the film's Nickelodeon pedigree.[23][24] Rotten Tomatoes reports that of 25% of 73 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.00/10. The consensus states: "It occasionally shows surprising flashes of wit, but Fun Size is too safe and formulaic -- not to mention unfunny -- to survive comparisons to the '80s teen movies it eagerly imitates."[25] On Metacritic, the film has an aggregated score of 37/100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[26]

Corey Hall of the Detroit Metro Times gave this film a score of C and said that "Most of the dialogue sounds like it came from 35-year-old guys — and not from Carly Rae Jepsen fans. Only Levy, who anchors the ABC sitcom Suburgatory, has the comedic chops to pull this stuff off — albeit barely."[27] Jen Chaney of The Washington Post gave this film a score of 1/4, calling it "a 90-minute theatrical release from Nickelodeon Productions that, if anything, should have aired as a half-hour Nickelodeon special."[24] David Martindale of Dallas Morning News gave the film a C+, saying, "like a 'fun size' chocolate bar, it's just empty calories. It's a momentary pleasure, instantly forgotten."[28] Mike McCahill of The Guardian described the film as a "smarmily opportunistic Adventures in Babysitting throwback".[29] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film 1.5/4 stars and wrote: "There's little fun to be had in this foolish Halloween comedy that generates many more eye rolls than laughs."[30] Alison Willmore of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade of D+, writing: "Justice is a pretty, personality-free screen presence, while the more interesting cast members, like Levy and Handler, are stuck in shrill, unsympathetic roles."[31]

On the positive side, Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter enjoyed the film and wrote, "Though it doesn't always hit the hilarity target, this tween-targeted romp strikes a sweet-but-not-sappy balance."[32] Alonso Duralde of TheWrap wrote: "Screenwriter Max Werner and director Josh Schwartz clearly have several well-worn copies of Adventures in Babysitting between them, but they keep the gags coming at a brisk pace."[33] Stephanie Zacharek of NPR wrote: "The fun to be had in Fun Size... is neither gigantic nor minuscule; it's just about fun size, which is probably enough."[34] Miriam Bale of the New York Daily News gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "By the end of this romp, "Fun Size" actually accomplished something charming: sentimentality without normality."[35]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Fun Size (2012)". British Film Institute (BFI). Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Fun Size (2012)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Fun Size (2012)". Box Office Mojo. October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  4. ^ "Box-Office Bombs of 2012". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  5. ^ O'Connor, Clint (October 21, 2012). "'Fun Size': Cleveland gets its close-up in new comedy starring Victoria Justice". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live LLC. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012. ... we see downtown, the skyline, the majesty of the lake, the beauty and character of neighborhoods in Lakewood, Cleveland Heights and Beachwood and the rumpled urban charm of Collinwood, among other locales.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Johnny Knoxville, Unique Blend of Cast Join 'Fun Size' Comedy". BloodyDisgusting.com. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on August 9, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Not so Fun Size comedy". The Irish News. November 2, 2012. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Weinstein, Joshua L. (July 26, 2011). "Paramount Sets 'Fun Size' Release for Oct. 12, 2012". The Wrap. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  9. ^ Barr, Jason (January 19, 2011). "Josh Schwartz to Helm FUN SIZE". Collider. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 25, 2011). "Victoria Justice tapped to star in 'Fun Size'". Variety. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  11. ^ "Jane Levy – Now Available in Fun Size?". Dread Central. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  12. ^ Kilday, Gregg (February 9, 2012). "Jane Levy in Talks to Join Josh Schwartz's 'Fun Size'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  13. ^ "Josh Schwartz' 'Fun Size' will be shot in Cleveland". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Barnes, Brooks (February 1, 2012). "Pied Pipers of Teenage Angst". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  15. ^ Kit, Borys (February 9, 2012). "Paramount Pictures is in negotiations with the "Chelsea Lately" host to join the teen comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  16. ^ "Chelsea Handler In 'Fun Size': Actress In Talks For Nickelodeon Comedy". Huffington Post. February 10, 2012. Archived from the original on June 18, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  17. ^ Dee, Jake (July 26, 2011). "Paramount sets Josh Schwartz's Halloween comedy Fun Size for October 2012". JoBlo. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  18. ^ Lovece, Frank (October 17, 2012). "Victoria Justice remembers Halloween". Newsday. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  19. ^ Carly Rae Jepsen - This Kiss, October 28, 2012, archived from the original on June 26, 2022, retrieved June 26, 2022
  20. ^ "Why Nickelodeon is releasing its first PG-13 film". MSN Entertainment. October 24, 2012. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  21. ^ "Fun Size Blu-ray and DVD". Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  22. ^ Nicholson, Amy (October 25, 2012). "Fun Size". Box Office. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  23. ^ Johanson, MaryAnn (November 1, 2012). "Fun Size review". flickfilosopher.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  24. ^ a b "The trick here: There's no treat (Fun Size review)". The Washington Post. October 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 30, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  25. ^ "Fun Size". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  26. ^ "Fun Size (2012)". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Hall, Corey (October 31, 2012). "Fun Size". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  28. ^ Martindale, David (October 25, 2012). "'Fun Size' is a momentary pleasure, instantly forgotten". Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  29. ^ McCahill, Mike (November 1, 2012). "Fun Size – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  30. ^ Puig, Claudia (October 25, 2012). "'Fun Size' delivers slim pickings". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  31. ^ Willmore, Alison (October 25, 2012). "Fun Size". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  32. ^ Linden, Sheri (October 26, 2012). "Fun Size: Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  33. ^ Duralde, Alonse (October 26, 2012). "'Fun Size' Review: Mostly Empty Calories, But Still a Halloween Treat". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  34. ^ Zacharek, Stephanie (October 25, 2012). "A 'Fun Size' Dose Of Laughter, Shenanigans". NPR. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  35. ^ Beale, Miriam (October 25, 2012). "Movie review: 'Fun Size'". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
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