After having watched this, I think it was one of the most strangely entertaining films I’ve ever seen. It was written and directed by actor/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait who really seemed to capture something with this film. He has certainly come a long ways since flops such as Shakes the Clown (1991). In my opinion, one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. I also remember him acting in indie films like One Crazy Summer (1986) which is a goofy cult-like comedy. One more mention about Bobscratch Goldfarb (Bobcat Goldthwait) one of his nicknames, you might also remember him from the Police Academy movies as Zed.
This story is basically about a man named Lance Clayton played by Robin Williams who is a writer, and dreams to be main-stream published one day. He is divorced and has a very unusual son obsessed with pornography among other things and is a real jerk. Lance works as a high school teacher teaching a poetry class. His son Kyle played by Daryl Sabara is embarrassed about his father working at his school and has but only one friend named Andrew played by Evan Martin. Alexie Gilmore plays Claire one of the teachers at the school who is close to Lance in a romantic relationship. Henry Simmons plays Lance’s rival named Mike Lane.
More of the cast includes Morgan Murphy as Murphy, Naomi Glick as Ginger, Dan Spencer as Dan Spencer, Geoff Pierson as Principal Anderson, Zach Sanchez is Peter, Ellie Jameson is Jennifer, Michael Thomas Moore as Chris, Alles Mist as Metal Kid, Jermaine Williams as Jason, and Lorraine Nicholson as Heather.
I believe this film would be considered a dark comedy; Robin Williams is simply wonderful as Lance and is very believable. His son Kyle played by Daryl Sabara also does a nice job and is equally convincing. The movie is about relationships and life and how we treat one another. It also shows how phony people can be in certain situations as well as some stereotypes about people. I will recommend this as a must see film.
I was thinking about a good family film that was entertaining and fun to watch. This one I think was a standout. The cast includes a number of talent individuals who bring something to this story. There are loads of setup gags, and some action sequences thrown into the mix. Joe Johnston brings his flair for theatrics in his own special way. He has previously done other films such as Jurassic Park III (2001), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), and his upcoming film The Wolfman (2010). The writing credits go to Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain for the screenplay. The film was based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg.
I watched this film in the theatre by myself when it was released, it was a fun experience. I remember children in the theatre laughing at some of the scenes, and one kid in particular had a funny laugh which added something as well. The story is about a board game, which has magical powers to bring forth things to reality such as monkeys, rhinos, spiders and more. Imagine a jungle appearing inside your town and all the havoc it would bring. This is what happens to the cast as they are forced to finish playing the game and try to win it.
The story follows a young Alan Parrish played by Adam Hann-Byrd he is a boy who discovers a unique board game; he decides he wants to try it out along with a friend of his named Sarah played by Laura Bell Bundy who lives nearby. Little do they know what would happen as they continued playing? Alan is hoisted away into the Jumanji jungles as his friend Sarah gasps in horror.
Fast forward time to modern day, as Nora Shepherd played by Bebe Neuwirth moves into her new home formerly owned by the Parrish family along with her nephew Peter Shepherd played by Bradley Pierce and her niece played Kirsten Dunst as Judy Shepherd. Alan Parrish returns after the children (Peter and Judy) decide to play the same board game again and the younger Alan returns as a grown man after his time away living in the jungle. He is played by Robin Williams who did a terrific job with the part; Bonnie Hunt plays the older Sarah who is now much older as well. I think she was a standout in this film as well.
More of the cast includes Jonathan Hyde playing both Van Pelt and Sam Parrish; you might recognize him from other films such as The Mummy (1999) or Titanic (1997). David Alan Grier plays Bentley, Patricia Clarkson is Carol Parrish, James Handy is the Exterminator, Gillian Barber is Mrs. Thomas, Brandon Obray is Benjamin, Cyrus Thiedeke is Caleb, and Gary Joseph Thorup is Billy Jessup.
Jumanji received attention from a few different awards; the film won a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects by Stan Parks, and Best Supporting Actress by Bonnie Hunt. There were a few nominations as well including: Best Actor Robin Williams, Best Director Joe Johnston, Best Fantasy Film, and Best Performance by a Younger Actor by Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce who were both nominated for.
I think you will find this to be a delightful film, and it certainly holds up as a good one to watch even now as something you can enjoy together with friends and family. I highly recommend seeing this one.
I watched this one long ago; I remember it being a very good film, and was critically acclaimed. The jest of the story is about a man who for the most part led an extremely unusual life. He is surrounded by unique individuals who shape his thoughts and feelings. George Roy Hill directed this one, and captured a true classic which many people have never heard of. It was based off of the John Irving novel. Steve Tesich wrote the screenplay.
The tagline that was used was fairly simple and that was “Robin Williams is Garp. He’s got a funny way of looking at life” I guess this was fitting enough to work for the film.
The cast is an exceptional collection of talent that really brought a lot to their roles. Robin Williams stars as Garp and captures your attention. This truly is one of his best performances on screen. Mary Beth Hurt plays Helen Holm. Glenn Close plays Jenny Fields and John Lithgow who played Roberta Muldoon both of which were nominated for Oscars for their performances. The late Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy play Mr. and Mrs. Fields. Both of them later appear together in other films such as Cocoon (1985) and *batteries not included (1987). Swoosie Kurtz plays a Hooker, James McCall is the younger version of Garp, Peter Michael Goetz is John Wolfe, George Ede is Dean Bodger, Mark Soper is Michael Milton, Nathan Babcock is Duncan, Ian MacGregor is Walt, Warren Berlinger is Stew Percy, and Susan Browning is Midge Percy from Steering School.
The character Garp is quite exceptional and shows interest in writing and wrestling based upon the influences of his mother. It was pure chance that Garp was ever born. I think this is such an interesting and original story that most people will find it to be a treat to watch. Check this one out if you want to see a most unusual storyline.
