James and the Giant Peach
3/4
Starring: Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postlethwaite, and the voices of Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, Susan Sarandon, David Thewlis, Jane Leeves
Rated PG for Some Frightening Images
"James and the Giant Peach" is as charming as I remember it. Well, almost. I've grown a bit and have hopefully become a bit more sophisticated, but there's still a lot to enjoy about this quirky kids movie.
James Henry Trotter (Terry) is a happy little boy living by the sea with his loving mother and father by the sea. One day his parents are gobbled up by a rhino from the sky. Talk about bad luck. Now he has to live with his wicked aunts, Spiker (Lumley) and Sponge (Margolyes). They delight in torturing him and making him a slave to their every whim. But James holds on to the hope of a better life in the Big Apple. That's when a mysterious man comes and offers him a bag of crocodile tongues that will make all of his dreams come true. Through a series of unlikely magical events, James ends up flying across the ocean to New York City with a group of insects: the crass Centipede (Dreyfuss), the fastidious Grasshopper (Callow), the motherly Ladybug (Leeves), the seductive Spider (Sarandon), and the somewhat deaf Glowworm (Margolyes).
Little in this movie is, in any way, realistic. It's all stylized. In fact, it looks and often feels like a Broadway musical transported directly to film. The actors play to the back of the audience, which is good for small children but demands a little leeway from adults like me. I speak, of course from experience, as I remember being more charmed by this film as a kid. The set design is a riot of exaggerated practical sets and the make-up (particularly of Spiker and Sponge) is grotesquely over-the-top.
The acting is solid all around, and in a few cases, excellent. Paul Terry, in his only film performance, is an immensely likable lead. He has real charisma and presence, without the pitfalls that often afflict young and inexperienced performers. The insects are just fine, with special mention going to Richard Dreyfuss, who in addition to being unrecognizable, is hilarious as the salt-of-the-Earth centipede. He gets to trade barbs with everyone, leading to some very funny moments. Pete Postlethwaite manages to be both creepy and likable as the mysterious man. And no review could be complete without mentioning the efforts of Joanna Lumley. The "Ab Fab" star tears into her role with relish, savoring every moment of malice and cruelty in the most ridiculous way possible. Not since Roger Allam in "Speed Racer" has a British thespian chewed the scenery with such glee.
If there's a flaw with this movie, it's the length. The film is only 84 minutes long, and that's really too short. There is so much creativity in this movie. So many quirky and eccentric characters that it needed more room to breathe. As it stands, however, it's a charmer.
Starring: Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postlethwaite, and the voices of Richard Dreyfuss, Simon Callow, Susan Sarandon, David Thewlis, Jane Leeves
Rated PG for Some Frightening Images
"James and the Giant Peach" is as charming as I remember it. Well, almost. I've grown a bit and have hopefully become a bit more sophisticated, but there's still a lot to enjoy about this quirky kids movie.
James Henry Trotter (Terry) is a happy little boy living by the sea with his loving mother and father by the sea. One day his parents are gobbled up by a rhino from the sky. Talk about bad luck. Now he has to live with his wicked aunts, Spiker (Lumley) and Sponge (Margolyes). They delight in torturing him and making him a slave to their every whim. But James holds on to the hope of a better life in the Big Apple. That's when a mysterious man comes and offers him a bag of crocodile tongues that will make all of his dreams come true. Through a series of unlikely magical events, James ends up flying across the ocean to New York City with a group of insects: the crass Centipede (Dreyfuss), the fastidious Grasshopper (Callow), the motherly Ladybug (Leeves), the seductive Spider (Sarandon), and the somewhat deaf Glowworm (Margolyes).
Little in this movie is, in any way, realistic. It's all stylized. In fact, it looks and often feels like a Broadway musical transported directly to film. The actors play to the back of the audience, which is good for small children but demands a little leeway from adults like me. I speak, of course from experience, as I remember being more charmed by this film as a kid. The set design is a riot of exaggerated practical sets and the make-up (particularly of Spiker and Sponge) is grotesquely over-the-top.
The acting is solid all around, and in a few cases, excellent. Paul Terry, in his only film performance, is an immensely likable lead. He has real charisma and presence, without the pitfalls that often afflict young and inexperienced performers. The insects are just fine, with special mention going to Richard Dreyfuss, who in addition to being unrecognizable, is hilarious as the salt-of-the-Earth centipede. He gets to trade barbs with everyone, leading to some very funny moments. Pete Postlethwaite manages to be both creepy and likable as the mysterious man. And no review could be complete without mentioning the efforts of Joanna Lumley. The "Ab Fab" star tears into her role with relish, savoring every moment of malice and cruelty in the most ridiculous way possible. Not since Roger Allam in "Speed Racer" has a British thespian chewed the scenery with such glee.
If there's a flaw with this movie, it's the length. The film is only 84 minutes long, and that's really too short. There is so much creativity in this movie. So many quirky and eccentric characters that it needed more room to breathe. As it stands, however, it's a charmer.
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