Fun Size – A Paramount Pictures’ Release

http://www.paramount.com/funsize/

DVD Release Date: February 19th, 2013

Rated PG for sexual content and language

Running time: 86 minutes

Josh Schwartz (dir.)

Max Werner (writer)

Deborah Lurie (music)

Victoria Justice as Wren

Jackson Nicoll as Albert

Jane Levy as April

Thomas Mann as Roosevelt

Our reviews below:

___________________________________________

Fun Size DVD Review By John C.

* (out of 4)

When her obnoxious mother (Chelsea Handler) insists that Wren (Victoria Justice) babysit her creepy little brother Albert (Jackson Nicoll) on Halloween, she ends up losing the kid and spends the night with her friend (Jane Levy) trying to get him back.  While trying to get to a party where all the popular kids are hanging out, the two teen girls drive around the city with the nerdy Roosevelt (Thomas Mann) and his friend Peng (Osric Chau), as Albert ends up being taken by several different adults and finally held for ransom.

I don’t mind wild party movies, but any film that has an emotionally disturbed child thrown in for the sake of providing supposed laughs, is just plain wrong.  Such is the case with Fun Size, a painful film that already got the bottom spot on my worst list for last year.  The latest offering from Nickelodeon, this is a “comedy” that has a child attending a drunken party and eventually being kidnapped, all under the guise of providing laughs to an impressionable young audience.  Although made with teenagers in mind, Fun Size is nothing more than an offensive and stupid film that is wrong on so many levels.

The Blu-ray includes a featurette, deleted scenes and a gag reel as well as some obnoxious material with Jackson Nicoll.  Also included is a music video for the fun Carly Rae Jepsen song “This Kiss,” which is far more entertaining than the actual movie.

___________________________________________________________________________

Fun Size DVD Review By Erin V.

1/2 (out of 4)

Sometimes even films with ‘fun’ in the title can be pieces of crap.  This film is one of those.  Fun Size centres around high schooler Wren (Victoria Justice), who gets invited to the biggest Halloween party around, only to have her plans derailed by having to watch her little brother Albert (Jackson Nicoll) and take him trick-or-treating.  When her distraction about the party causes her to lose Albert in a busy haunted house while collecting candy, Wren’s night soon turns from going to the biggest party of the year to trying to find her weird little brother before their mother finds out he’s missing – a plot à la some sort of bad The Hangover ripoff.

The film is obnoxious and mostly portrays the adults as morons and the kids as either sarcastic, or just plain shallow and dumb.  There are maybe one or two semi-ok characters in the whole thing. Personally, I find it an insult to the audience, although I could see some middle schoolers enjoying the film as something (albeit stupid) is always happening on screen.

___________________________________________________________________________

Fun Size DVD Review By Nicole

1/2 (out of 4)

Many years ago, the late Fred Rogers spoke out against what he referred to as “demeaning behaviour” in children’s entertainment.  Fun Size can only be described as demeaning.  The “humour” in this film is centred around a selectively nonverbal 8-year-old boy, Albert (Jackson Nicoll) getting kidnapped by a man so he can use him as an accomplice in vandalism and assault against another man.  Albert’s sister Wren (Victoria Justice) was supposed to accompany him trick-or-treating, but she accidentally loses him at a haunted house.

To add insult to injury, Albert gets held for ransom after attending an adult party.  Teens are seen drinking at their own party, and the reason Mom (Chelsea Handler) wasn’t watching her kids is because she is too busy partying with her boy toy.  Just when you thought that was bad, there is actually a scene where a teenage boy shoots what he thinks is a toy gun at another teen in an argument.  With all the recent gun tragedies, this is nothing more than offensive.  The only likeable characters in this film are the lead girl, and the more levelheaded Roosevelt (Thomas Mann), who has two eccentric moms who care for him deeply.

I hope that in the future, creators of youth entertainment will take a page out of Mister Rogers’ book and produce media that respects its audience and promotes love and respect of our neighbours.  Perhaps then, the world would be a little more loving.

___________________________________________________________________________

Fun Size DVD Review By Maureen

*1/2 (out of 4)

Oops!  Someone forgot to put the fun in Fun Size.  The overall premise of high schoolers getting all dressed up for a much anticipated Halloween party and then having their plans turned upside down by a tagalong kid brother has the potential for a whole lot of fun.  But with plot points such as an eight year old going with a grown-up man he doesn’t know to drug and alcohol fuelled events and later being kidnapped by another weird guy, things just take on a creepy vibe.  If these were all adults getting into costumed craziness on Halloween night, then Fun Size might seem funny.

Still, Fun Size isn’t an awful movie.  The lead actress, Nickelodeon’s Victoria Justice, is quite likeable as Wren, the quiet and smart teen who gets put in the position of babysitting annoying little brother Albert (Jackson Nicoll).  The only other likeable character is nerdy classmate Roosevelt (Thomas Mann), who has a crush on Wren.  The scenes with his two Moms provide some amusing moments.

Teens who watch the Nickelodeon show Victorious starring Victoria Justice will probably want to check out Fun Size.  But given the questionable content throughout the movie, parents should be cautioned before choosing it as a cute movie about Halloween for the whole family.

___________________________________________________________________________

Fun Size DVD Review By Tony

1/2 (out of 4)

Fun Size refers to Albert (Jackson Nicoll) the chubby little brother of Wren (Victoria Justice). Wren’s widowed mother (Chelsea Handler) goes to a party with her boy toy Keevin (Josh Pence), leaving Wren to take Albert out for Halloween. Albert quickly loses himself in the crowd, leading to a series of misadventures that defies description.

I won’t waste time here. Fun Size is arguably the worst movie I have seen since Gentlemen Broncos. Though its premise might superficially resemble the adult comedy The Sitter, the situations depicted in this film aimed at middle school age are much more disturbing. Aside from Wren and fellow nerd Roosevelt (Thomas Mann) who have some redeeming qualities, every other character in this train wreck ranges from pathetic to downright vile.

The selectively mute Albert is particularly obnoxious. Just when we think his behaviour couldn’t possibly get any worse, he finds his voice in the epilogue, leaving us on the toilet with a final plop that crudely manages to sum up my opinion of this film.

___________________________________________________________________________

Consensus: A wildly misjudged comedy from Nickelodeon that includes the kidnapping of an emotionally disturbed child, Fun Size is a painful film that is especially offensive for the target audience of young teenagers.  * (Out of 4)