LEAVE IT TO BEAVER
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.5 Alternative Scale: *1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 8/22/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:30 MPAA Classification: PG (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Cameron Finley, Christopher McDonald, Janine Turner, Erik von Detten, Grace Phillips, Adam Zolotin Director: Andy Cadiff Producers: Brian Levant and Robert Simonds Screenplay: Brian Levant & Lon Diamond Cinematography: Thomas Del Ruth Music: Randy Edelman U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
Why? That's the question foremost in my mind when I consider this latest motion picture retread of a defunct television series. Why was this movie made in the first place? If it had to be made, why didn't it take the BRADY BUNCH MOVIE's satirical approach? And why didn't the film makers consider that there might be someone in the audience over the age of 10? Most importantly, why did I bother seeing this film in the first place?
Let me preface this review by stating that I am not a fan of the television series LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, nor have I ever been. I have seen no more than a handful of episodes, and was neither impressed nor enchanted. This new motion picture, which attempts to modernize the Cleavers by placing them in the 1990s, affected me in the same way. It's not really a terrible movie, but, unless you're a little kid or a BEAVER aficionado, you're likely to find this film a little too dumb to be tolerable.
Perhaps the powers that be should have taken a lesson from how THE BRADY BUNCH made their small-to-big screen transformation. Turning this into a straightforward satire might have gone a long way towards reducing the level of tediousness in LEAVE IT TO BEAVER. Alas, with the exception of an occasional sly aside, this film plays it mostly straight. The one advantage of this approach is that the movie illustrates just how embarrassingly bad the original sit-com is by today's entertainment standards, especially with all the nostalgia stripped away.
The story plays like a very looooooong episode of the TV series (updated to the '90s, of course -- now June can say "crap"). 8-year old Beaver Cleaver (Cameron Finley) has his brand new bicycle stolen by a local hoodlum while big brother Wally (Erik von Detten), who is supposed to be watching out for him, is busy making goo-goo eyes at a girl. Dad (Christopher McDonald) yells at both of them, then softens up when his wife, June (Janine Turner), makes him realize that he's being too domineering. Meanwhile, the neighborhood conniver, Eddie Haskell (Adam Zolotin), is mad at Wally for stealing "his girl," and enjoys seeing his rival lose her to a roughneck who happens to be friends with the bike thief.
Ho hum. To be fair, LEAVE IT TO BEAVER has its moments, the best of which is an off-the-wall family therapy session during which Wally lets out some unexpected truths. Considering how good this scene is, I can't determine why first-time feature director Andy Cadiff didn't opt for the same irreverent tone throughout. Likewise, some of the modern characteristics of the Cleaver parents hold a promise that isn't developed. June shows a few sexpot tendencies and there are times when Ward appears close to grabbing the nearest sharp object and slicing his family to pieces. Unfortunately, rather than being accentuated, these aspects are underplayed, causing me to wonder if there might have been some more openly campy elements in an earlier version of the script.
The acting is hodgepodge of mediocre performances, with only Christopher McDonald doing anything interesting with his character (he opts for playing Ward tongue-in-cheek as often as he can). Janine Turner, best known for her recurring role as Maggie in NORTHERN EXPOSURE, is as stiff as a board. Teen actors Erik von Detten and Adam Zolotin are largely unconvincing. And young Cameron Finley, who plays the title character, gets high marks for cuteness, but isn't a particularly strong actor. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER is light on cameos, with brief appearances by Barbara Billingsley (June) and Ken Osmond (Eddie) being the most notable. The absence of several key original cast members, particularly Jerry Mathers (Beaver) and Tony Dow (Wally), is curious, to say the least.
Fans of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER will undoubtedly enjoy this movie more than I did. To me, however, this seems like a wasted opportunity to do something inventive -- perhaps to improve upon what was done with THE BRADY BUNCH. About the best thing I can say about LEAVE IT TO BEAVER is that it's innocuous. Some people find that to be a positive quality. Personally, it's about the last thing I look for in a movie. And, while LEAVE IT TO BEAVER may not be one of the worst films of the year, I certainly won't be recommending it to anyone. It's just another television series that is diminished by the transition to the big screen.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"A film is a petrified fountain of thought." - Jean Cocteau
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