Clifford (1994)

Director:

Paul Flaherty

Writers (WGA):

Jay Dee Rock (written by) &
Bobby von Hayes (written by)

Release Date:

1 April 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

What's the difference between Clifford and a pit bull? One will tear your heart out, scare your friends and wreck your house. The other one is a dog.

Plot:

Clifford is a ten-year-old troublemaker, who puts not only his parents through hell, but also his uncle with whom his parents have discarded him to.

Plot Keywords:

Troublemaker | Automobile | Strait Jacket | Scheme | Food

Cast

Martin Short	...	Clifford Daniels
Charles Grodin	...	Martin Daniels
Mary Steenburgen	...	Sarah Davis
Dabney Coleman	...	Gerald Ellis
Richard Kind	...	Julien Daniels
Jennifer Savidge	...	Theodora Daniels
Brandis Kemp	...	Woman on Plane
Ben Savage	...	Roger
Don Galloway	...	Captain
Tim Lane	...	Navigator
Susan Varon	...	Woman Passer-By
Josh Seal	...	Kevin
Kevin Mockrin	...	Kevin
Timothy Stack	...	Kevin's Father
Marianne Muellerleile	...	Kevin's Mother

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | Spain:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Was one of many films (including RoboCop 3 (1993)) produced by Orion and filmed years before its release date. The reason it was not released until 1994 was due to company Orion's pending bankruptcy, and not because of bad press screenings, as some sources claim.

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the beginning of the movie, Father Clifford is standing in front of a brick wall when Roger jumps from a window and lands on Clifford. Clifford goes down, but the camera does not move. Right before Clifford and Roger get up, the shadows on the brick wall instantly shift, revealing that scene was edited together from multiple takes.

Quotes:

Clifford: How many years you think you'll get for kidnapping me, Uncle Ten-Most-Wanted?
Martin Daniels: Life. Let's go a little faster shall we?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kicking and Screaming (1995)

The bestest movie ever!...OK, not really

In this funny, but slightly crude film, Martin Short uses his young face and tricky camera angles, I think, to play the part of a ten year old boy. What is really funny is that he is obviously not a ten year old boy, yet he is perfectly capable of the role due to his bizarre sense of humour. This film showed on a television station that normally shows Disney B movies. Movies released in the 90's are not really my thing, but this one was really cute! There were a few offensive words and crude moments ( such as one reference to a "secret space" and other jokes about pedophiles ) but if these go in one ear and out the other, than it won't be a problem for you. Martin Short has the most hilarious face, capable of contorting to give a weird, childish look that creeps out even the on screen characters. The opening and closing shots reminded me of "Boy's Town" and gives us a chance to see Martin Short under layers of latex for his role as an elderly priest.

All in all, not a bad effort.