Heeeeee's back. Stuart Little, everybody's favorite white rodent,
returns in STUART LITTLE 2, a darling sequel that manages to outcharm
the original. The starring cast is back with Michael J. Fox voicing
Stuart, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie playing his adoptive parents,
Jonathan Lipnicki playing his adoptive brother, Nathan Lane voicing
the Little's sassy white fur ball named Snowbell and Steve Zahn voicing
the street-smart alley cat named Monty. Adding extra sizzle this
time, Melanie Griffith voices Stuart's first love interest, a yellow
bird named Margalo, and James Woods is menacingly funny voicing a
predator known only as the falcon.
Thanks to a production budget that exceeds either STAR WARS: EPISODE
II or MINORITY REPORT -- I am not making this up -- the look is stunning
but never overwhelming. As you watch Stuart soar joyously through
Central Park in a toy airplane or marvel at the colorful beauty of
Margalo's feathers, you will see that this was money well spent.
I don't know how much writer Bruce Joel Rubin got for the script,
but it was probably a bargain. The dialog is packed with little comedic
gems. I do wonder if there might have been some bribery going on
since Nathan Lane manages to snag the best lines. "Look what I'm
reduced to," Snowbell says after being asked to cleanup the baby's
spilt oatmeal by making it his breakfast. "I'm Handiwipes without
hands." Even some of the minor characters get some simple but funny
lines. When the coach finally dares to send little Stuart into a
human soccer game, he warns him to "watch your tail."
The movie is continuously cute without ever being saccharine and with
several good-sized laughs. It's the type of film to which you can
take the grandkids or the grandparents and never worry about anyone
being bored. The audience is a sea of constant smiles and frequent laughter.
All of the above notwithstanding, there are some thrills and some
duplicitous characters in STUART LITTLE 2. The chases are classic
cinema and well acted. And after rescuing Margalo from the clutches
of the evil falcon, Stuart finds that she may not be quite what she seems.
There are plenty of good messages sprinkled about. Two of the best
are: "If more people gave up, there'd be fewer wars," and "You're
as big as you feel." STUART LITTLE 2 is an exhilarating comedy for all ages.
STUART LITTLE 2 runs a fast 1:18. It is rated PG for "brief mild
language" and would be acceptable for all ages.
My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it ***. He didn't think that the original
needed a sequel, but he found this one quite good. He commented on
how cool the special effects were while still seeming natural. His
cousin William, age 8, really liked it, especially the last airplane
sequence. William's sister Liana, age 5, liked it too, and her favorite
part occurred when Stuart got stuck on a garbage barge.
Copyright © 2002 Steve Rhodes
out of 4
