FROG AND WOMBAT A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
1998 is shaping up to be the year when girls and young women hit the big time as the heroines of kids' movies. Young females have played strong leading parts in movies as diverse as MADELINE, EVER AFTER, MULAN, PAULIE and, my personal favorite, THE PARENT TRAP. To this list can now be added FROG AND WOMBAT, a delightful picture about some sixth grade girls hot on the trail of a "mystery."
Produced and filmed nearby in Santa Cruz, California, the film is in limited distribution around the country now. Written and directed by Laurie Agard, the film stays firmly in the realm of the delightfully silly kids' movie until the end, which would probably earn it a PG or PG-13 rating for mild violence. (The film isn't rated.) Although it is a good picture without the ending twist, it is stronger for it.
It all starts when the new junior high school principal, Larry Struble, played by veteran actor Ronny Cox, moves into town. Allison Parker and Jane Walker, played by new film actresses Katie Stuart and Emily Lipoma, are best buddies who keep a close eye on the goings on in their neighborhood, always on the lookout for anything suspicious. Allison, who talks constantly from her bedroom to Jane in hers on their walkie-talkies, insists that they use code names, lest someone discover their true identities. Allison wants to be referred to only as Frog and demands that Jane be known as Wombat.
Frog likes to wear army combat fatigues to increase her stealth factor. In contrast, Wombat's preferred outfit is a pink gown and slippers with huge dog faces on the toes.
After the bachelor principal introduces the girls to his niece, Nancy (Jessica Cushman), she "mysteriously" disappears. Wombat pooh-poohs Frog's whole propensity toward assuming the worst. The principal tells them that Nancy just went back home to New York, and Wombat is happy to accept that explanation as being the simple truth.
Soon Frog is assembling a host of "facts" to prove their principal's criminal behavior. His refrigerator is missing so he must have hidden Nancy's dead body in it. When he claims the refrigerator broke, Frog figures that his call to the Salvation Army to donate it was only because he realized that they were on to him. Other clues include finding pictures of an unknown woman in his briefcase and a wedding ring near the missing refrigerator. For these and other clues, Frog has to break into the principal's house and his office.
The two lead actresses, while still getting their acting legs, give sweet performances. One is as tough as the other is reluctant. The script is funny with the best jokes, about menstruation, being ones that girls of that age will certainly enjoy and identify with.
That Frog's single mother, Sydney, played by another veteran, Lindsay Wagner, expresses some interest in the principal only serves to redouble Frog's resolve to prove he's a murderer. Along the way, the two leads, aided by the new girl at school, Francesca (Briana Michaud), get into many adventures. The script surprisingly allows them to do some of the gross stuff usually reserved for the boys. The best of these female gross-out scenes has Frog and Francesca enjoying peanut butter from a large jar by dipping their big toes into the jar and then eating the peanut butter right off of their toes.
Indie films for kids are almost impossible to find. This rare one deserves seeking out. Perhaps we will be lucky, and it will inspire more such worthwhile and enjoyable productions.
FROG AND WOMBAT runs 1:30. It is not rated but would be PG or PG-13 for a scene of mild violence. The picture would be fine for kids around 7 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 9, thought the movie was great and gave it *** 1/2. His favorite part was the way the girls communicated with walkie-talkies. He thought Frog was terrific.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: www.InternetReviews.com
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