The Stupids (1996)

Director John Landis is back at it, still light years away from the 
comic masterpieces of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, THE BLUES 
BROTHERS, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, and TRADING PLACES, but 
obviously having a high time adapting Harry Allard and James 
Marshall's series of children's books.  The central joke here is 
that Stanley Stupid and his family take *everything* at face value.  
When their trash is missing from the curb cans, they think somebody 
stole it.  When Dad (Tom Arnold) discovers the city dump, he thinks 
he's uncovered the crime of the century.  When the kids (Bug Hall 
and Alex McKenna) can't find their father anywhere in the house, 
they think he's been kidnapped.  And so on.

Though it ultimately lives up to its title, THE STUPIDS is dumb fun 
for, oh, about an hour.  The cast has enormous enthusiasm and the 
costumes (and some sets) are relentlessly sunny.  (Kids would like 
the latter, if this were a movie for kids.  I'm not sure if it is.)
The cheerfully chaotic plot is one of the most unpredictable in 
recent memory, adding arms dealers, space aliens, and a postal 
conspiracy into the mix.  Film fans will also enjoy the director's 
trademark in-jokes, from "see you next Wednesday" to the casting of 
prominent directors in cameo roles.  (That's David Cronenberg as 
Stanley's old boss and Robert Wise as the neighbor.  You find the 
rest.)

What's missing is a better attention to detail.  Though the sloppy 
editing is entirely annoying-- *must* they cut away in the middle 
of a musical number?-- the most glaring gaffe is the film's failure 
to adhere to a consistent set of rules regarding exactly how this 
Stupid universe is supposed to behave.  Other people, places, and 
things are allowed to act as goofy as the title characters do and 
that's a mistake.  The core contrast between smart and stupid-- the 
very essence of what the jokes are about-- is undermined and that's 
no good.  This is one movie that might be funnier if it tried to be 
less funny.  Trust in the Lloyd. (Rated "PG"/94 min.)

Grade: C+

Copyright 1996 by Michael J. Legeros

Originally posted to triangle.movies in MOVIE HELL: September 2, 1996