Post by littlerascal4891 on Sept 12, 2009 10:54:54 GMT -5
I know that there was a topic about this a long time ago, so instead of bumping up an old thread, I just decided to make a new one.
I watched this movie for the first time in about six or seven years. I have to say, I am happy that this movie was made, or else I might have never gained interest in the old "Our Gang" films from the 1930s (and 20s and 40s). Here are some things I thought about or noticed about the film.
*I actually enjoyed this movie. I remembering loving it when I was little. I don't "love" it anymore, but it's okay. It was cute, and I liked how it brought back some things from the original series (Alfalfa singing "The Barber of Seville" while warming up for the talent show, etc.). I liked the movie's plot and some parts were actually pretty funny and cute. The movie had some things in it that I didn't care for, but overall, it was a decent film (Although I'm probably one of the few on this board who think so!).
*Something that I think could have made the film better was giving some original "Rascal" cast members a cameo. There were some alive back then. Instead, there were a bunch of random celebrity appearances (The Olsen twins, Whoopi Goldberg, Reba, Donald Trump, etc.). As far as I know, these people had nothing to do with "The Little Rascals." Why not put some former Rascals in the movie, even if it was for for a few seconds?
*The highlight of the film, for me, was Bug Hall as Alfalfa. He was by far the best at portraying how his original character acted (I hope that makes sense. I didn't know how to word that!). I thought he gave a good performance; he reminded me of the original Alfalfa.
*Spanky was cute and everything, but he didn't remind me of the original Spanky at all. In my opinion, Spanky was unlikeable in the movie... the original Spanky could get a little bossy sometimes, but I could actually respect that. He was the leader. But the 1994 Spanky... I don't know, I just thought he got to the point where he actually seemed mean. Like I said, adorable kid, but not a very good Spanky (even though it isn't entirely the actor's fault how Spanky was portrayed. The writers made him like that).
*I know I'm in the minority, but I thought that Stymie was alright. I mean, he didn't have the charm as the original Stymie, but he at least looked the part. 1994 Stymie actually did remind me a bit of Stymie Beard, but only in his later years with the gang (not in the Miss Crabtree days).
*I'm pretty sure the only reason why the little girl who played Darla got the part was because of her dark hair. That was, in my opinion, the only thing she had in common with 1930s Darla. She was very unlike the original Darla Hood in my opinion. She wasn't a very good actress either, especially at the beginning of the movie when she and Alfalfa are in the boat. Cute kid, but not a good actress.
*Is it just me, or did they make Porky and Buckwheat slightly annoying? It was kind of like, "Yeah, we get it, they're cute." And they were cute, but I think they really played it up. Just the way they said "O-tay" seemed like they were trying too hard. The original Porky and Buckwheat were cute, but it seemed like they were just being themselves, not trying to be adorable.
*I read that review that the person from the "Our Gang" Follies group wrote (littlerascals.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=158&page=1) and that made me realize the Porky/Scotty thing. Did they add the sideways cap because of Scotty or was it just a coincidence? I'm thinking that they just put it on him "just because," but hey, you never know.
*The original Waldo wasn't a bad guy (at least not from what I remember. I haven't seen many original shorts with Waldo in them). In the 1994 film, they made Waldo out to be a jerk. Jerry Tucker was the rich brat in "Hi Neighbor!" Waldo was friends with the gang. And I don't remember him being rich either. I guess they just did that because Waldo was a better known character than Jerry.
*I thought it was kind of weird that kids living in 1994 would wear clothing that looked like they were from 1934. But some outfits worked, managing to look somewhat modern (Stymie, Spanky, and Darla's outfits, just to name a few). But some outfits looked Way outdated, like Alfalfa's suspenders. It was interesting... but I'm not sure if I like it or not. It seemed strange to me that parents would dress their kids in practically rags, but, hey, it's just a movie I suppose.
So, overall, this movie is okay. Would I watch it again? Sure. Is it more enjoyable than the original shorts? Absolutely not. But I don't think it's as bad as what some people say it is. And it did introduce the Rascals to a new generation, because by the time the movie came out, "The Little Rascals" was no longer on TV. The only thing that is unfortunate about the movie is that many people don't even know about the "Our Gang" comedies. They just know about the 1994 movie and that's it. I've tried telling my friends about the original "The Little Rascals" but they only think about the new film. It's kind of sad really.
Well, I think that's the longest post I've ever typed on a forum before. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear some of your thoughts.
I watched this movie for the first time in about six or seven years. I have to say, I am happy that this movie was made, or else I might have never gained interest in the old "Our Gang" films from the 1930s (and 20s and 40s). Here are some things I thought about or noticed about the film.
*I actually enjoyed this movie. I remembering loving it when I was little. I don't "love" it anymore, but it's okay. It was cute, and I liked how it brought back some things from the original series (Alfalfa singing "The Barber of Seville" while warming up for the talent show, etc.). I liked the movie's plot and some parts were actually pretty funny and cute. The movie had some things in it that I didn't care for, but overall, it was a decent film (Although I'm probably one of the few on this board who think so!).
*Something that I think could have made the film better was giving some original "Rascal" cast members a cameo. There were some alive back then. Instead, there were a bunch of random celebrity appearances (The Olsen twins, Whoopi Goldberg, Reba, Donald Trump, etc.). As far as I know, these people had nothing to do with "The Little Rascals." Why not put some former Rascals in the movie, even if it was for for a few seconds?
*The highlight of the film, for me, was Bug Hall as Alfalfa. He was by far the best at portraying how his original character acted (I hope that makes sense. I didn't know how to word that!). I thought he gave a good performance; he reminded me of the original Alfalfa.
*Spanky was cute and everything, but he didn't remind me of the original Spanky at all. In my opinion, Spanky was unlikeable in the movie... the original Spanky could get a little bossy sometimes, but I could actually respect that. He was the leader. But the 1994 Spanky... I don't know, I just thought he got to the point where he actually seemed mean. Like I said, adorable kid, but not a very good Spanky (even though it isn't entirely the actor's fault how Spanky was portrayed. The writers made him like that).
*I know I'm in the minority, but I thought that Stymie was alright. I mean, he didn't have the charm as the original Stymie, but he at least looked the part. 1994 Stymie actually did remind me a bit of Stymie Beard, but only in his later years with the gang (not in the Miss Crabtree days).
*I'm pretty sure the only reason why the little girl who played Darla got the part was because of her dark hair. That was, in my opinion, the only thing she had in common with 1930s Darla. She was very unlike the original Darla Hood in my opinion. She wasn't a very good actress either, especially at the beginning of the movie when she and Alfalfa are in the boat. Cute kid, but not a good actress.
*Is it just me, or did they make Porky and Buckwheat slightly annoying? It was kind of like, "Yeah, we get it, they're cute." And they were cute, but I think they really played it up. Just the way they said "O-tay" seemed like they were trying too hard. The original Porky and Buckwheat were cute, but it seemed like they were just being themselves, not trying to be adorable.
*I read that review that the person from the "Our Gang" Follies group wrote (littlerascals.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=158&page=1) and that made me realize the Porky/Scotty thing. Did they add the sideways cap because of Scotty or was it just a coincidence? I'm thinking that they just put it on him "just because," but hey, you never know.
*The original Waldo wasn't a bad guy (at least not from what I remember. I haven't seen many original shorts with Waldo in them). In the 1994 film, they made Waldo out to be a jerk. Jerry Tucker was the rich brat in "Hi Neighbor!" Waldo was friends with the gang. And I don't remember him being rich either. I guess they just did that because Waldo was a better known character than Jerry.
*I thought it was kind of weird that kids living in 1994 would wear clothing that looked like they were from 1934. But some outfits worked, managing to look somewhat modern (Stymie, Spanky, and Darla's outfits, just to name a few). But some outfits looked Way outdated, like Alfalfa's suspenders. It was interesting... but I'm not sure if I like it or not. It seemed strange to me that parents would dress their kids in practically rags, but, hey, it's just a movie I suppose.
So, overall, this movie is okay. Would I watch it again? Sure. Is it more enjoyable than the original shorts? Absolutely not. But I don't think it's as bad as what some people say it is. And it did introduce the Rascals to a new generation, because by the time the movie came out, "The Little Rascals" was no longer on TV. The only thing that is unfortunate about the movie is that many people don't even know about the "Our Gang" comedies. They just know about the 1994 movie and that's it. I've tried telling my friends about the original "The Little Rascals" but they only think about the new film. It's kind of sad really.
Well, I think that's the longest post I've ever typed on a forum before. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear some of your thoughts.
