if there is any one thing that those of us that have seen this movie can agree on it's that we are all not N'SYNC with this whole thing. seems like you either like it or hate it or are perplexed by it.
is it any good? well, actually i'm a little confused about this one. i happen to like the film very much and think it's surprisingly well done for what it is and it's ambitions(which are few)are. it's also at least likable enough not to deserve the critical skewering it usually gets. i think people are a little "put off" by this movie because the end result is unintentionally bizarre and way over the top. i think the film wants to be amusing and quaint, but it far exceeds that to the point the viewer feels as if they are being "punked" by this. of course not. it's just that fey and crazy weird. i mean what show in it's right mind lets Debi Mazar do her own singing? the result is predictably ear piercing. ouch. Debi Mazar is a really good actress, just not a good singer.
also Joey "the fat one" Fatone is disturbingly over the top here as well, and a very strange presence. remember Fatone? he was the fat kid in the baby band N'Sync who was always back up and never a front guy. it's not that Fatone is'nt good. as a matter of fact he's slickly professional and sings and dances well and is very funny. what's the problem? Joey Fatone is way too young of a performer to seem like such a has-been, washed out, Las Vegas, Wayne Newton type. i mean the guy has just barely turned the big three zero and he's already ready for a has-been appearance on the 'Surreal Life'. his performance here is likable and engaging, but it feels so Las Vegas and so Wayne Newton. something too over-the-hill for someone this young. i doubt Fatone will ever enjoy the respectability that N'Sync buddy Justin Timberlake is enjoying now as a serious actor.
the two best performers are the girl portraying 'Red' herself, and Lanie Kazan, who is delightfully ditzy as the yoga loving, hippie, liberal grandmother. Kazan sings and moves just great and reminds us that there is life for the geriatric set. there are also some funny performances by the girls who play the uber cool Ashley's. the Ashley's are a hilarious, tough, hybrid of 'hello kitty' and the 'Avenue 13' gang.
despite a ridiculous 'PG' rating, everything here is 'G' rated and wholesome for all ages. the only thing that parents should be strongly cautioned about is the age inappropriate love interest for Red Riding Hood. it's age inappropriate because, hello, the little girl is only thirteen where the boy is at least eighteen or nineteen. that's an age difference that's bound to make any uptight father of a tween girl cringe.
i'm not going to pretend this movie is great cinema. but it is a musical and a fairy tale, two things i absolutely love. it's an unintentionally strange film (probably due to it's being a musical), but i think it's fun and it was directed by Hollywood pro Randal Kleiser who always turns in a polished looking production even when the material is kind of junk. which, as much as i like this, this is.
is it any good? well, actually i'm a little confused about this one. i happen to like the film very much and think it's surprisingly well done for what it is and it's ambitions(which are few)are. it's also at least likable enough not to deserve the critical skewering it usually gets. i think people are a little "put off" by this movie because the end result is unintentionally bizarre and way over the top. i think the film wants to be amusing and quaint, but it far exceeds that to the point the viewer feels as if they are being "punked" by this. of course not. it's just that fey and crazy weird. i mean what show in it's right mind lets Debi Mazar do her own singing? the result is predictably ear piercing. ouch. Debi Mazar is a really good actress, just not a good singer.
also Joey "the fat one" Fatone is disturbingly over the top here as well, and a very strange presence. remember Fatone? he was the fat kid in the baby band N'Sync who was always back up and never a front guy. it's not that Fatone is'nt good. as a matter of fact he's slickly professional and sings and dances well and is very funny. what's the problem? Joey Fatone is way too young of a performer to seem like such a has-been, washed out, Las Vegas, Wayne Newton type. i mean the guy has just barely turned the big three zero and he's already ready for a has-been appearance on the 'Surreal Life'. his performance here is likable and engaging, but it feels so Las Vegas and so Wayne Newton. something too over-the-hill for someone this young. i doubt Fatone will ever enjoy the respectability that N'Sync buddy Justin Timberlake is enjoying now as a serious actor.
the two best performers are the girl portraying 'Red' herself, and Lanie Kazan, who is delightfully ditzy as the yoga loving, hippie, liberal grandmother. Kazan sings and moves just great and reminds us that there is life for the geriatric set. there are also some funny performances by the girls who play the uber cool Ashley's. the Ashley's are a hilarious, tough, hybrid of 'hello kitty' and the 'Avenue 13' gang.
despite a ridiculous 'PG' rating, everything here is 'G' rated and wholesome for all ages. the only thing that parents should be strongly cautioned about is the age inappropriate love interest for Red Riding Hood. it's age inappropriate because, hello, the little girl is only thirteen where the boy is at least eighteen or nineteen. that's an age difference that's bound to make any uptight father of a tween girl cringe.
i'm not going to pretend this movie is great cinema. but it is a musical and a fairy tale, two things i absolutely love. it's an unintentionally strange film (probably due to it's being a musical), but i think it's fun and it was directed by Hollywood pro Randal Kleiser who always turns in a polished looking production even when the material is kind of junk. which, as much as i like this, this is.