Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kurt Russell
Have I Seen it Before: More time than I would have thought I would have for a live-action Disney film.
Did I Like It: Is it surprising? Is it showing me anything I haven’t seen* before? Is it going to down in history as one of the greatest films of all time?
Probably not.
However, one cannot deny that the film has no illusions about its ambitions. It aims squarely at its audience and efficiently delivers exactly what it promises. That may read as damning with faint praise, but far too many films lack the focus to know what they are, and more than a few of them have been lately produced by the Walt Disney Company. The film is intermittently funny, deals in appropriate levels of cuteness, and couldn’t possibly offend the sensibilities of anyone who came to the movie with the right level of expectations.
So, why have I watched it so many times? Why do I own it on DVD?
My wife really likes it. For all the times she has patiently sat through RoboCop (1987), accepted that I view Die Hard(1988) as a Christmas movie, and accepts that I’m likely not going to get rid of my special-edition Blu-ray of Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), it’s important to watch movies that she likes for no other reason than she likes them. That may sound at odds with my lukewarm praise for the movie, as if I don’t think she has good taste. She has the best taste, and I’m pretty sure if I’m not 100% on board with this movie, the problem lies with me.
Therefore, I’ve decided I like it quite a bit. But please, don’t make too big a deal out of that. She might make me watch Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) again. Which I would do. For her.
*Or made…