LEAVE IT TO BEAVER 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
1 :-) for Theodore Beaver Cleaver
Cast: Cameron Finley, Christopher McDonald, Janine Turner, Erik von Detten, Grace Phillips, Adam Zolotin Director: Andy Cadiff Screenplay: Brian Levant & Lon Diamond
Having to grow up with great paternal expectations hanging over your shoulder sure dampens ones creativity and self-initiative. I'm sure anyone who has lived the experience, will acknowledge that they were once little boys with impossible-to-please-fathers, who were once little boys with impossible-to-please-fathers. So the merry-go-round keeps going round until somewhere along the way, the chain breaks. The idea of parenting is to guide, not take over your kid's life.
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER is best remembered as the popular 60's family series that was full of morals and lessons learnt in childhood. It hits the screens once again, this time the big screen. Beaver your average nice, but non-too bright kid is trying to get a new bike of mum and dad. At the same time he wants to make dad proud of him, by playing football and wanting to be a doctor. Gosh, is that really what parents want for their kids nowadays? Things come to a head when the bike gets stolen and Beaver wants to drop out of the footy team – a mid-childhood crisis.
Having goals and expectations for your children is not necessarily a bad thing, if it lies in your child's best interests. However, there is a tendency for some parents to selfishly live out their own private agendas through their children. Parents are always looking for an excuse to be proud of their child. Some will go over the top and murder their daughter's rival for cheer group leading, but on the whole most parents are down to earth enough to just brag about their kid's grades, sporting achievements etc to relatives, friends or anyone with a ready ear.
So after scoring a goal, finding his bike and ending up inside a giant coffee mug, Beaver finally gets his dad to accept him for who he is and not for what he would like him to be. A more a less important message for over achieving parents. Janine Turner (NORTHERN EXPOSURE) is an unusual choice for Mrs Cleaver. She vacuums in pearls, her hair is permed and dyed blonde, and she carries a perpetual smile on her face. Somehow, beneath this veneer of maternal perfection, one can see her silently screaming to be released from her apron string bondage. Mr Beaver (Christopher McDonald) seems grumpier than in the 60's series, whilst Wally Cleaver (Eric von Detten) seems an overall nicer older brother.
LEAVE IT TO BEAVER is not amongst the best children films released these holidays, but at least it has something important to say about parenting.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au Movie Archives http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Tim+Voon Hugues Bouclier's Movies in Melbourne http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~bouclier/week/movies.html
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