Stuart Little Review
by James Sanford (jamessanford AT earthlink DOT net)December 16th, 1999
When Geena Davis won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in "The Accidental Tourist" in 1989, she probably never dreamed she'd one day be playing second fiddle to talking mice and chatty cats in a children's film. Yet here she is in "Stuart Little," kissing a rodent good-night and doing her best impersonation of Donna Reed. For some actors this would be considered a career low-point, but truthfully, "Stuart" is one of the few decent movies Davis has starred in during the last decade. Does anyone remember "Cutthroat Island"? "Angie"? "The Long Kiss Goodnight"? Would anyone want to? For Davis, this might almost be considered a comeback vehicle.
Readers who cherish E.B. White's gentle novel about an adventurous young mouse adopted by a human family may initially be startled by the $90 million screen version, which often leans on slapstick and noisy action sequences. Even so, they may eventually be won over by the movie's technical wizardry -- as in the "Babe" films, the animatronics are so convincing, you're never quite certain if you're watching a genuine animal or a puppet -- and by the sense of wonder permeating the story. This may not be the "Stuart" many of us remember from our own childhoods, but it's likely to win over contemporary kids -- and a lot of their parents as well.
The first half of the screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense") and Greg Brooker is reasonably faithful to the book, following Stuart (a computer-animated wonder voiced appealingly by Michael J. Fox) as he tries to adjust to life in the Little household. The well-meaning newcomer almost immediately runs into problems with his human brother George (Jonathan Lipnicki, the scene-stealer from "Jerry Maguire") and the Little's snooty Persian cat Snowbell, who speaks in the distinctively weary voice of Nathan Lane. The story's first act climaxes with a rousing toy boat race on the river of New York's Central Park, with Stuart adeptly skippering a model schooner.
Just when it seems everything is falling into place however, Snowbell decides to get rid of Stuart once and for all, with the help of his less-than-brilliant buddy Monty (voice of Steve Zahn) and some shady alley cats who are "mean, vicious and all hopped up on catnip." The crises and complications that follow should have young viewers on the edges of their seats, while adults can savor the sterling special effects work and the awe-inspiring sets. The production team has stunningly recreated large portions of Manhattan in a studio so that the Big Apple looks far brighter and more fanciful than it has in ages. Although its whiz-bang tone is typical of most big-budget family films, "Stuart" does take a break every now and then for a quieter moment. There's a wonderful interlude involving Stuart living in a castle on a putt-putt golf course and several wry bits of humor targeted at adult viewers. We learn Stuart was orphaned when his parents were crushed in "a tragic Cream of Mushroom soup accident years ago" ("it's a very heavy soup," Stuart's caseworker sighs). The script also provides some bright wisecracks for its feline villains, such as when one kitty warns another "didn't your mother ever tell you not to go into Central Park at night?" and his friend replies "my mother was the reason why you didn't go into Central Park at night!" James Sanford
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