Rugrats Movie, The (1998)

reviewed by
Edward Johnson-Ott


The Rugrats Movie (1998) E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Case, Tara Charendoff, Melanie Chartoff, Jack Riley, Joe Alaskey, Phil Proctor, Cree Summer, Michael Bell, Tress MacNeille, Michael Bell, Busta Rhymes, Whoopi Goldberg, David Spade. Produced by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo. Screenplay, David N. Weiss, J. David Stem. Directed by Norton Virgien, Igor Kovalyov. 82 minutes. Rated G, 3 stars (out of five stars)

Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to pbbp24a@prodigy.com

I've been a fan of "Rugrats," the hit Nickelodeon cartoon series, for a long time. Tommy (voiced by E.G. Daily) is the plucky leader of the precocious toddlers, accompanied by his best friend, the timid, but loyal, Chuckie (Christine Cavanaugh). Earthy twins Phil and Lil (Kath Soucie) complete the fab four, with Angela (Cheryl Chase), Tommy's slightly older, very bratty cousin, always ready to cause trouble for the babies. The charm of the show comes from the kids' innocent outlook on the world, as well as their refreshingly matter-of-fact approach to dirt, bugs and body functions. Adding to the fun is the show's gently satiric portrayals of the infants' colorful parents and grandparents.

"The Rugrats Movie" marks the first big-screen foray for the kids and any movie featuring a nursery full of singing newborns who create a fountain of water by peeing into the air is all right in my book. That said, "The Rugrats Movie" disappointments in a number of ways. While the film features nice music and boasts a number of ingenious moments, it overdoes the bombast, making the babies play second fiddle to a series of raucous action scenes and parodies of other movies.

Following a take-off of "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the main storyline kicks in. Tommy Pickles' life is disrupted by the arrival of baby brother Dil (Tara Charendoff), whose nonstop howling drives the child to distraction. When Tommy and company decide to return Dil to the "baby store," they hop in the Reptar Wagon, a super-powered Big Wheel created by Tommy's inventor father, Stu (Jack Riley, Mr. Carlin from "The Bob Newhart Show") and promptly get lost in the forest, leading to a series of misadventures with escaped circus monkeys, a wolf and various other scary things. Meanwhile, the families, aided by two forest rangers (Whoopi Goldberg and David Spade), desperately search for the kids, while the press (led by Tim Curry) bombard them with idiotic questions.

Judging from the laughter and applause, the kids at the screening I attended loved every second of the movie, especially the numerous body function jokes. My reaction was less enthusiastic. After a strong beginning, the film turns into a overly busy action movie, and that's not what I came to see. I love the "Rugrats" series not because of the action, but rather the characters' conversations and responses during the action. In the series, we get to hear the babies talk to each other, and the glimpses into their personalities provide the charm and fun of the show.

There's some of that in the movie, but not nearly enough. Too much of the film consists of everyone racing frantically about, avoiding one brush with disaster after another. I can get that with any movie. From the "Rugrats," I look for personality, and the film comes up short in that department.

Because of the clever moments, the nifty soundtrack and my affection for the characters, I'm giving "The Rugrats Movie" a marginal recommendation. The film's target audience of little kids should make the production a hit. But if the filmmakers want to satisfy the grown-ups (and make no mistake, the TV show has a huge adult following), they'll tone down the frenzied action and turn up the personality and quiet moments for the next "Rugrats" movie.

© 1998 Ed Johnson-Ott

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