Halloween is next weekend, so it makes sense that Nickelodeon puts out a movie where Halloween is central to the plot. The problem is "Fun Size" isn't exactly sweet/funny kiddie fare typical of Nickelodeon films. Think "Hotels for Dogs" with Emma Roberts and "Imagine That" with Eddie Murphy.
This one hopes for some teen edge and aims for more grown-up comedy. The thing is, the people who want to see this will be mostly 10-14 - the demo who loves, loves, loves Victoria Justice on "Victorious." But the movie is a little too raunchy for this demo. To quote my 12-year-old daughter: "This is definitely PG-13. Not for little kids!"
I asked her what stuck out as inappropriate for younger audiences, and she listed off several things — from the humping chicken-car scene and party scenes to the sexy kitty costume and boob touching. I'm glad she noticed, and I'm sad she noticed. This stuff no longer goes over her head.
A mom and I talked about the content after viewing the film. Is this really appropriate for kid fans of Victoria Justice? Should we keep them from watching? Every home is different. I mentioned seeing "Pretty in Pink" (1986, PG-13), "Sixteen Candles" (1984, PG) and "The Breakfast Club" (1985, R - mostly for the F words) as a kid. I was my daughter's age watching "Sixteen Candles." And had my parents been in the theater with us, I'm sure they would not have been happy with the underwear scene or the drunk foreign student handing from a tree, etc. It was PG, though. The PG-13 rating wasn't started until July of that year. If it were PG-13, I'm not sure if mine would have let us see it until they saw it first.
The movie is about nerdy, but pretty senior Wren (Victoria Justice), who is invited to the hot guy's Halloween party. She's geared to go with her bestie April (Jane Levy), who dresses sexy and wants nothing to do with boy nerds. Too bad Wren's mom (Chelsea Handler) is making her watch her little brother, so that she can go to her own party with a much younger boyfriend. Wren's brother, of course, gets lost and silliness ensues as she recruits two nerd friends to help find her brother, who won't speak but takes rides from strangers. None of these adults call the police, but rather take this kid to vandalize an ex-girlfriend's home and to a party. It's totally unbelievable in the attempt to be hilarious. Oh, and I forgot, Johnny Knoxville has a part as a martial arts doofus who steals Wren's brother's candy and later holds him hostage. I'm thinking most parents will be offended. Kids will likely be forgiving, because, well, it stars Victoria Justice and she is a good girl throughout, including wearing a costume that isn't overtly sexy.
My guess is the movie will quickly be at the bargain theater. But then again, kids will want to go even if many of the jokes fall flat or are just not really appropriate (there's exploding poop, sexy dancing that's supposed to be funny, streaking, etc.) Now, I did laugh even at some dumb stuff. But most jokes were quickly forgotten after the film. Memorable lines? I can't recall any. But the Songify clip had a few laughing out loud.
Overall, I'd say it's a D+. My daughter says it's a solid C. It's really for teens who don't mind dumb jokes and like Victoria Justice.
The trailer:
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