Stuart Little Review

by "Berge Garabedian" (drsuess AT microtec DOT net)
December 16th, 1999

STUART LITTLE
RATING: 6.5/10 --> So-so

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PLOT:
An orphaned mouse gets adopted by two human parents. The real son of the duo does not take well to the mouse at first, but eventually begins to understand and appreciate him better, until one day, the mouse's real micey parents show up to claim back their child. Who will Stuart, the cute little mouse, end up with?

CRITIQUE:
I expected more fun and laughs from this cute mouse tale. It was an okay movie, great special effects with the talking mice and cats blending right into their human entourage, some fun moments including a mafia cat ring looking out for revenge, but not enough punch to recommend with much enthusiasm. In fact, I think the filmmakers went a little too far on the sentimentality bit, chiming in with sad music during every conceivable moment of uncertainty. Mrs. JoBlo also liked it but nothing more than that. There just seemed to be something missing, something that could've been there, should've been there, but in the end, just wasn't. Will kids dig it? Yeah, I'm pretty sure they will but don't expect them to start dusting off their shelves for a new spot next to their TOY STORY and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST videos.

I did love the way the mice all happened to be accepted in modern day society as a matter of fact, and the excellent close-ups of the cats talking and emoting their feelings, but when all was said and done, most of their jokes fell flat, and I suppose that after the amazing spectacle that was TOY STORY 2 (8/10), most other kid movies have to seriously drum up their bang-for-a-buck factor, in order to be appreciated by today's expectant movie-going audience. It's really too bad because I was thoroughly impressed by the superior computer-generated character of Stuart Little, whose cute face and impeccable body movements certified him as a truly original film personality. Unfortunately, the film lacked that slickness, that hipness, that humor, that action-packed craziness that takes a kid's movie and rises it above the rest. All in all, it was okay, a couple of funny moments, a couple of decent action scenes, a quick runtime, one too many emotional moments, but a fun time for most kids. See it just for the slick mouse effects and all of the cats talking shtick...that is, if you're into that kind of thing.

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
Michael J. Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but currently makes his home in New York City with his wife, actress Tracy Pollan, and their three children. Michael stands 5'4" and recently revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991.
Actress Geena Davis has been married to two really tall showbiz guys: actor Jeff Goldblum and director Renny Harlin. She is also a member of the geniuses-'R-us organization of MENSA, speaks Swedish and placed 24th out of 28 semi-finalists for the American Olympic Archery Team in 1999. Her full name is Virginia Elizabeth Davis.
No doubt you all remember the cute boy in this film, Jonathan Lipnicki, from the 1996 Tom Cruise film, JERRY MAGUIRE (8/10), which also happened to be his big screen debut. Ironically, his endearing portrayal of Ray Boyd earned the kid the "1996 Best Child Performance of the Year" award presented by the National Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Many familiar guest voices make appearances as characters in this film including Nathan Lane, Chazz Palminteri, Steve Zahn, David Alan Grier, Bruno Kirby and Jennifer Tilly.
Screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan is the man behind one of the biggest movie successes of 1999: THE SIXTH SENSE (8/10). He wrote and directed that film. By the time he was sixteen years old, he had already completed his 45th short film, and at the tender age of 17, he stood before his parents, both doctors, surrounded by pictures of the other 12 doctors in his family, and informed them that although he graduated cum laude and received academic scholarships to several prestigious medical programs, he had instead decided to attend the New York University Tisch School of the Arts to study filmmaking. The rest, as they say, is history.

Review Date: December 13, 1999
Director: Rob Minkoff
Writers: M. Night Shyamalan and Greg Booker
Producer: Douglas Wick
Actors: Geena Davis as Mrs. Little
Hugh Laurie as Mr. Little
Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little (voice)
Jonathan Lipnicki as George Little
Genre: Children's comedy
Year of Release: 1999
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(c) 1999 Berge Garabedian

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