Little Monsters

Little Monsters is one of those guilty pleasure films that, when viewed through the lens of love and nostalgia I have for it, is quite enjoyable. Looking back more recently and as close to an unbiased viewing as I can get, however, the cracks quickly begin to show in the film.

This film feels like an extension of The Wonder Years, with both Fred Savage and Daniel Stern playing the same basic characters. Opposite them you have the always-manic Maurice, played by Howie Mandel, who has no apparent "off" switch as he pulls a number of mean-spirited "pranks" from his mysterious world accessible from under the bed of a child before dragging Brian, Savage's character, in on the action.

There are a few jokes in the film, but the majority of them are dated and just don't land anymore. There's a lot of humor that comes from the downright hateful tricks the monsters pull on the children (complete, of course, with the horrific reactions from the parents). That humor doesn't land either.

The "mysterious" monster world is literally the equivalent of a studio backlot, full of cardboard boxes and digital effects glittered throughout. The monster world, along with the "real" world, look like something lifted directly from a TV movie.

Then, of course, you have the villains. Boy, the ruler of the monster world, and Snik, the genuinely terrifying creature who exists as an enforcer of the rules. He's truly menacing and about the only thing in the movie that still invokes the intended emotion in the audience.

Nevertheless, nostalgia is a powerful thing, and it's what kept me coming back to this movie time and time again over the years. No matter how bad this movie is in a countless number of ways, it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

I remember watching this movie with my dad when I was 9 and it was easily one of the funniest movie I had ever feasted my eyes upon. Howie Mandel's one liners were wildly inappropriate for children. Not too mention Fred Savage who was playing an eleven year old boy was almost just as cheeky which made the hilarity of the characters even more difficult not to laugh at. While it definitely doesn't even come close to being as hilarious as The Goonies it certainly is one of the funniest children's films to come out of the 1980s.

Little Monsters will always be an absolute classic from my childhood. It's a movie I've seen many times, and it's just as entertaining now as it was then. The comedy is perfect for all ages, and it's the kind of movie you'll want to see more than once.

The story about two complete opposites becoming best friends wasn't exactly original, but throwing in the monster element, and the fantasy underworld setting definitely made it feel original. The characters/monsters were very creative along with the overall concept for the film, and the cast portrayed those characters great.

This is a great movie that I would recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it.

Little Monsters is a fun film for kids. Brian Stevenson (Fred Savage) seems to be getting blamed for everything these days. Leaving his bike out behind his dad's car. Making a mess out of the ice cream. But Brian insists that it isn't his fault.

One night, Brian discovers the cause to all his problems is a monster named Maurice (Howie Mandell), and shows Brian that under every kids bed, is the entrance to the underworld of childish monsters. And for Brian, it's the coolest thing and an excellent escape from his problems in the real world. It's great. There's no adult supervision. They can do whatever they want, whenever. And, the funniest part, is that Brian gets to join Maurice creating monster mischief to get little kids in trouble (peanut butter on the phone, seran wrap on the toilet seat, etc). It's a whole lot of fun for kids tired of rules.

But the monster life isn't all the treat it's cracked up to be. In the first place, there's an ugly looking fat monster who torments the monster kids that don't obey him. Maurice and his new friends have to destroy the evil monsters who have kidnapped Brian's little brother, Eric (played by Fred Savage's brother, Ben). And, Brian, Maurice, and some of their friends, have to get Eric back before they get stuck in the monster world forever. If they do, they'll turn into monsters too.

This is a great, creative kids movie, exploring the idea of monster life under the bed long before Monster's Inc. I still enjoy the sequence of Brian setting up his room to trap the monster and also the sequence where Brian and Maurice go around the neighboorhood to cause mischief and get the kids in trouble. And, despite it's age, I don't even think it's a dated adventure movie. Unfortuantely, it was also one of those movies where young Ben Savage was still the cute little kid that made you ignore the fact that he couldn't act.

Although I did enjoy this movie (and gave it a 7), I found the PG rating a major misstep by the MPAA. Cuss words, adult situations, more than cartoonish violence .. not that the movie is lessened because of it .. but at the beginning of the video I rented, there was an add for kids to call a 1-900 number and try to win prizes related to to the show - but this movie is in no way made with kids in mind. Howie Mandel hams it up, and an early movie appearance by Frank Whaley is five minutes of fabulous.