Wednesday 3 February 2016

Movie: 'Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' (1989)

Its virtue lies in its simplicity, sincerity and innocence. Its value is enhanced by Rick Moranis in his signature role, and an excellent surrounding cast. The story is rich in character and naturally steeped in spectacle. The film is 'Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' (HISTK), and there can no impartiality in this post.

HISTK is a funny and amazingly detailed adventure movie, yes they used to make adventure films back in the day, about zany inventor Wayne Szalinski working on a miniaturization beam in his attic, his worried wife, and the adventure of both their and their neighbouring couple's children, when they're accidentally shrunk down to bug size and dumped out with the trash at the other end of the back yard. Will the kids make it through the now jungle of a backyard, and will Wayne be able to restore them to normal? Well, that's not really the crux of the movie as it's really a coming of age story about the kids, two of them about to reach their majorities, and the other two of the younger variety.

One of the keys to HISTK lies in its homespun and detailed production design, where nothing but the miniaturization laser itself would look out of place in any standard suburban home, and everything looks naturalistic to the suburban setting. The enlarged garden and interior sets are marvelous and wonderfully detailed, to the point where you realise that floorboards and flagstones must really look like that at the smaller scales, and the hard work of constructing it all shines through brightly.

On paper, it's an effects-driven film, but in reality this is about three and a bit love stories, as two sets of parents reconcile, a star-crossed pair of adolescents discover each other, and their younger siblings gain and lose a quite unexpected friend while growing up a little in the process. Oh, and there's a flight on a manic bumblebee, for the effects lovers.

A long time ago, the nominal leading young lady of the piece, Amy of the jungle, was the receptacle for quite the teenage infatuation. Now, she's the standout performer of an amazingly talented youthful cast. Meanwhile, the adult stars are the ever notable Rick Moranis and Matt Frewer, backed up by Kristine Sutherland and Marcia Strassman (Nurse Margie Cutler from the first season of 'M*A*S*H'!), and all excel.

Before we finish, without any criticism as there's not really anything to criticize, special notes of recommendation go out to James Horner's fantastically jazzy score, the excellently maintained tone of the whole film, and its beauty in being only ninety minutes long. It completely works, and there's no attempt to pad it out at all. The humour is low key and detailed as often as it is broad and zany, and there remains nothing more to be said.

O.

Note: None of the post applies to the sequels, which were reputedly cash-ins of the first order. Watch those at your own risk.

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