Little Monsters (1989)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Richard Greenberg

Writers (WGA):

Terry Rossio (written by) &
Ted Elliott (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Some friends can be REAL MONSTERS. And some monsters can be REAL FRIENDS.

Plot:

A boy discovers an incredible and gruesome world of monsters under his bed.

Plot Keywords:

Bed | Monster | Friend | Horror For Kids | Flamethrower

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Fred Savage	...	Brian Stevenson
Howie Mandel	...	Maurice
Daniel Stern	...	Glen Stevenson
Margaret Whitton	...	Holly Stevenson
Rick Ducommun	...	Snik
Frank Whaley	...	Boy
Ben Savage	...	Eric Stevenson
William Murray Weiss	...	Todd
Devin Ratray	...	Ronnie Coleman
Amber Barretto	...	Kiersten
J. Michael Hunter	...	Mr. Finn
Tom Hull	...	Principal
Magbee	...	Bus Driver
Lisa Cain	...	Holly's Friend
Tony Bonsignore	...	Beach Bum

Also Known As:

Little Ghost Fighters (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Spain:7 | USA:PG (certificate #28813) | Iceland:LH | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Davis Entertainment

Trivia:

'Daniel Stern', who plays Glen Stevenson the father of Fred Savage's Brian Stevenson, was the man responsible for the voice over narration on "The Wonder Years" (1988) in which Fred Savage starred.

Goofs:

Continuity: Brian takes a Polaroid picture by holding the camera in front of himself while in the classroom with Kiersten. Later in the movie, the photo is on Kiersten's nightstand but he is posing with his arms folded.

Quotes:

Maurice: You got you're stupid remote control back. Now how about lighting a candle or something? These lights are painful.
Brian Stevenson: [studies remote] Hey, what about the batteries?
Maurice: I ate 'em for breakfast. I'd give 'em to ya right now but double A battries constipate me, ok? How bout a little later?
Brian Stevenson: That's gross.

Movie Connections:

References Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Soundtrack:

(I LOVE THE SOUND OF) BREAKING GLASS

A Funny Little Family Film, Despite Predictability...

Howie Mandel and Fred Savage star in "Little Monsters," a tale that features the "Monsters under the bed" delusions and reality.

In 2001, the world witnessed a great monster tale unlike any other: "Monster's Inc.," a computer-animation film featuring the voice talents of Billy Crystal and John Goodman, as well as James Coburn and Steve Buscemi.

"Monsters Inc." achieved what "Little Monsters" was trying so obviously to do. Make a funny and endearing monster film. Unfortunately, due to too much "cuteness" and predictability, "Little Monsters" was sadly left to gather dust by most people.

I'll admit, "Little Monsters" is nowhere near as fun, entertaining or smart as "Monsters Inc.," but it still deserves more credit than it receives.

So it's predictable and cute: I've seen worse. Howie Mandel is pretty funny, and Fred Savage is a lot better of a child actor than Macaulay Culkin ever was.

I recommend "Little Monsters" to you, because despite its flaws, it's still a good, clean family film.

3/5 stars --

John Ulmer