Look Who's Talking Now
Encyclopedia
Look Who's Talking Now is the third and final installment in the film series that began with Look Who's Talking
in 1989. Released in 1993, the film finds John Travolta
and Kirstie Alley
reprising their roles as James and Mollie Ubriacco, respectively, and introducing the newly extended family members to the film.
David Gallagher
and Tabitha Lupien
portray the couple's children, Mikey and Julie, respectively. Unlike the previous films, it does not feature the voice-over talents of Bruce Willis
, Roseanne Barr
, or Joan Rivers
as the children's interior monologues; rather, Danny DeVito
and Diane Keaton
provide voice-over roles for the couple's newly acquired dogs, Rocks and Daphne, respectively, and the film focuses more on the life of the family pets.
Lysette Anthony
and Olympia Dukakis
costar. George Segal
and Charles Barkley
have cameo roles.
A few days afterwards, a young cross bred puppy is up for sale and we can hear him talking. He sees Mikey passing by him and begs him to take him home. He however has to hurry past in tow of his mother, and two harsh looking individuals buy the puppy. He manages to escape them and starts his life as a stray.
James is a private air pilot working for Samantha - who we see has a crush on him and is always trying to extend the trips to spend more time with him. Mikey tells Santa that he wants a dog for Christmas
. James feels the time has come to give him the present he has always wished for and tells Samantha about this. In the meantime, Mollie is a top accountant at her firm but because her salary is so high, she is suddenly fired in order for the firm to save money.
Unable to acquire a decent job, Mollie gets one as one of the elves for the mall Santa for the holiday season. During a visit, Mikey discovers to his horror that Santa Claus
is a fake and becomes upset with disbelief.
One day though the dog gets caught by the animal rescue force and taken to a kennel, where several other dogs are kept. He is about to be put to sleep on the same day that James brings Mikey there to select a dog. Overjoyed, Mikey bumps into the same dog he saw as a puppy, takes an instant liking to him and decides to take him home.
Soon James and Mikey get home with the dog which Mikey has named Rocks, only to see that Samantha is at their house and has brought over her dog, Daphne, who is highly trained and she wants James to have her as a present from her. Mollie is angry when she discovers that James has gone and gotten a dog for Mikey without discussing it with her and the two have a brief argument. As Rocks will be put to sleep if he's returned to the kennel and James does not want to offend Samantha by refusing Daphne, the two realize they are stuck with two dogs. James compromises that whichever dog behaves better will stay while the other will be gotten rid of somehow.
Mikey and Rocks, along with Julie and Daphne, begin a small series of sibling squabbles that irritate each child and their dog. Rocks, who had been getting threats from Mollie to be back out on the streets for eating her expensive shoes and peeing all over the floor, breaks the line by accidentally destroying Daphne's doghouse while playing fetch with Mikey. Daphne goes into Mollie's room and sets Rocks up by chewing on her shoes. Later that night when Mollie is sleeping, the dogs sneak out and have a night on the town. Daphne begins to stop being so arrogant and learns to enjoy herself and have fun. She also begins to see Rocks in a new light and soon falls in love with him, and he feels the same for her. When Mollie discovers her chewed up shoes she throws a fit screaming "You are out of here!" Mikey hears this and becomes upset. While being shut out on the patio, Daphne later apologizes to Rocks for her actions and it is discovered that he doesn't understand their attempts to train him to sit, lie down, beg, or any of the other standard tricks a dog is taught. As the world's most over-trained dog, Daphne proceeds to teach him the simple tricks that his family has been trying to do so. Mollie realizes that Daphne misses Rocks and talks to her about how someone can grow on you and after a while you can't live without them.
Meanwhile, James and Samantha go to her partner's home cabin on Christmas Eve during a strong snowstorm. He fails to discover this is an elaborate setup to get them alone and stranded. She sends her driver away keeping James from leaving. She unplugs the phone and fax machine and plants a phony fax sheet clarifying that he (her partner) would not arrive until that night or early the following morning. Realizing he would possibly freeze to death trying to get out, James silently agrees to stay, giving Samantha the satisfaction that her setup was working.
Mollie begins to suspect James is having an affair with Samantha when she calls her office and discovers the two are at a cabin in northern New York and her partner was in the Bahamas with his wife and family for the weekend, but is convinced by her mother (Olympia Dukakis
) that James loves her and would never cheat on her. She calls back and under the guise of a flower delivery service manages to get the cabin's address. She gathers the children and the gifts to take Christmas to James. The family suffers a car accident when it slides off the snowy, icy roads and into the forest below the highway. a wolf appears and prepares to attack Mollie as she gets out of the car. Rocks rolls down the window and faces the wolf, attacking and scaring him away. He and Daphne decide to split up to get the family help. He sends her to find help while he follows James' scent. After Daphne straightens out the difference between 'sniff' and 'snort' she finds a forest ranger, and calls the squad to the car.
While instructing Samantha to dance in the den under firelight, James looks up and discovers that the phone line has been pulled from the wall. He finally catches on to her ploy, dropping her promptly onto the floor. After she tells James he deserves better than a "frumpy little housewife who doesn't have the ability to find a decent job" Rocks appears at the door. She continues to threaten him, stating that if he walks out the door she will fire him and he won't find another decent job for the rest of his 'pathetic' life. Her voice is cut off though as Rocks urinates all over her feet and the two leave. After discovering that Mollie and the kids are no longer at the car, James and Rocks are confronted by a pack of wolves. Rocks defends James and as the attack happens off screen, there are the sounds of James' beeper and a dog's yelping, presumably Rocks'.
Back at the ranger station, Mikey is looking out the window and he thinks he sees Santa hiking up the path to the station. All are surprised when James comes in the door. He explains that he was attacked by wolves and Rocks came to his rescue, leading Mikey and Daphne to believe sadly that he had been killed during this attack. James brings out his beeper, which has been crushed by the attack. Rocks appears and all is well again, apparently the sound of the beeper was what drove the wolves off and neither were hurt. After seeing that Rocks is obeying every command that comes out of James' mouth (though he doesn't realize it) Mollie votes that he stays, and they are one big happy family again. Daphne chooses Rocks as her mate. The ranger chimes in and states he's picking up a weird transmission on his radio. He turns the dial and Santa's voice is made out stating "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" much to Mikey's surprise.
and Diane Keaton
portray the Ubriacco family's pets. This also marked the film debuts of Tabitha Lupien
, and David Gallagher
, best known for his later role as Simon Camden on 7th Heaven
.
George Segal
who portrayed, Albert, the first film's antagonist
, who is Mikey's biological father, reappears in briefly.
Charles Barkley
makes a cameo appearance as himself. Don Rickles
does the voice of a wolf.
Twink Caplan
, who portrayed Mollie's best friend Rona in the previous two films, does not appear in this film nor was she mentioned. Also Elias Koteas
, who portrayed Mollie's brother, Stuart, in the second film does also not appear nor was he mentioned. Both Caplan and Koteas declined to return for the third movie.
French singer Jordy
performs, along with both David Gallagher and Tabitha Lupien, amongst other children, in a special music video for the film, titled It's Christmas C'est Noel from the Christmas
album Potion magique.
only making over $10 million, making it the lowest grossing film in the series. On the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
, Look Who's Talking Now holds a 0% approval rating. Among the sequel's main problems were the lack of originality, the bland treatment of the children and its overblown ending.
Look Who's Talking
Look Who's Talking is a 1989 romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling and stars John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey. The film features George Segal as Albert, the illegitimate father of Mikey.-Plot:Mollie Jensen is an accountant...
in 1989. Released in 1993, the film finds John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
and Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
reprising their roles as James and Mollie Ubriacco, respectively, and introducing the newly extended family members to the film.
David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
and Tabitha Lupien
Tabitha Lupien
Tabitha Lupien is a Canadian actress and competitive dancer trained in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, and acrobatics. She trains with her sisters Lindsay and Samantha and her brother Isaac at the Canadian Dance Company, owned by her parents Allain and Dawn, located in Oakville, Ontario...
portray the couple's children, Mikey and Julie, respectively. Unlike the previous films, it does not feature the voice-over talents of Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
, or Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
as the children's interior monologues; rather, Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
and Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
provide voice-over roles for the couple's newly acquired dogs, Rocks and Daphne, respectively, and the film focuses more on the life of the family pets.
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony
Lysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
and Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
costar. George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
have cameo roles.
Plot
James and Mollie, after struggling to put their kids, Mikey (now 7) and Julie (now 4) to bed, again have sex in their bedroom. She tries to refuse but her husband charms his way through her resistant behavior. Meanwhile outside, a pair of different breed dogs, having come from a night out are about to part ways. But the male dog, Trooper, instead cons the female dog, Princess, into mating with him after he lies and says that he is going to be fixed the next day. The screen changes for the credits of several of Trooper's canine sperm entering Princess' eggs. The owners of the spaniel discover that she has given birth and decide simply to put the dogs up for adoption.A few days afterwards, a young cross bred puppy is up for sale and we can hear him talking. He sees Mikey passing by him and begs him to take him home. He however has to hurry past in tow of his mother, and two harsh looking individuals buy the puppy. He manages to escape them and starts his life as a stray.
James is a private air pilot working for Samantha - who we see has a crush on him and is always trying to extend the trips to spend more time with him. Mikey tells Santa that he wants a dog for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. James feels the time has come to give him the present he has always wished for and tells Samantha about this. In the meantime, Mollie is a top accountant at her firm but because her salary is so high, she is suddenly fired in order for the firm to save money.
Unable to acquire a decent job, Mollie gets one as one of the elves for the mall Santa for the holiday season. During a visit, Mikey discovers to his horror that Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
is a fake and becomes upset with disbelief.
One day though the dog gets caught by the animal rescue force and taken to a kennel, where several other dogs are kept. He is about to be put to sleep on the same day that James brings Mikey there to select a dog. Overjoyed, Mikey bumps into the same dog he saw as a puppy, takes an instant liking to him and decides to take him home.
Soon James and Mikey get home with the dog which Mikey has named Rocks, only to see that Samantha is at their house and has brought over her dog, Daphne, who is highly trained and she wants James to have her as a present from her. Mollie is angry when she discovers that James has gone and gotten a dog for Mikey without discussing it with her and the two have a brief argument. As Rocks will be put to sleep if he's returned to the kennel and James does not want to offend Samantha by refusing Daphne, the two realize they are stuck with two dogs. James compromises that whichever dog behaves better will stay while the other will be gotten rid of somehow.
Mikey and Rocks, along with Julie and Daphne, begin a small series of sibling squabbles that irritate each child and their dog. Rocks, who had been getting threats from Mollie to be back out on the streets for eating her expensive shoes and peeing all over the floor, breaks the line by accidentally destroying Daphne's doghouse while playing fetch with Mikey. Daphne goes into Mollie's room and sets Rocks up by chewing on her shoes. Later that night when Mollie is sleeping, the dogs sneak out and have a night on the town. Daphne begins to stop being so arrogant and learns to enjoy herself and have fun. She also begins to see Rocks in a new light and soon falls in love with him, and he feels the same for her. When Mollie discovers her chewed up shoes she throws a fit screaming "You are out of here!" Mikey hears this and becomes upset. While being shut out on the patio, Daphne later apologizes to Rocks for her actions and it is discovered that he doesn't understand their attempts to train him to sit, lie down, beg, or any of the other standard tricks a dog is taught. As the world's most over-trained dog, Daphne proceeds to teach him the simple tricks that his family has been trying to do so. Mollie realizes that Daphne misses Rocks and talks to her about how someone can grow on you and after a while you can't live without them.
Meanwhile, James and Samantha go to her partner's home cabin on Christmas Eve during a strong snowstorm. He fails to discover this is an elaborate setup to get them alone and stranded. She sends her driver away keeping James from leaving. She unplugs the phone and fax machine and plants a phony fax sheet clarifying that he (her partner) would not arrive until that night or early the following morning. Realizing he would possibly freeze to death trying to get out, James silently agrees to stay, giving Samantha the satisfaction that her setup was working.
Mollie begins to suspect James is having an affair with Samantha when she calls her office and discovers the two are at a cabin in northern New York and her partner was in the Bahamas with his wife and family for the weekend, but is convinced by her mother (Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
) that James loves her and would never cheat on her. She calls back and under the guise of a flower delivery service manages to get the cabin's address. She gathers the children and the gifts to take Christmas to James. The family suffers a car accident when it slides off the snowy, icy roads and into the forest below the highway. a wolf appears and prepares to attack Mollie as she gets out of the car. Rocks rolls down the window and faces the wolf, attacking and scaring him away. He and Daphne decide to split up to get the family help. He sends her to find help while he follows James' scent. After Daphne straightens out the difference between 'sniff' and 'snort' she finds a forest ranger, and calls the squad to the car.
While instructing Samantha to dance in the den under firelight, James looks up and discovers that the phone line has been pulled from the wall. He finally catches on to her ploy, dropping her promptly onto the floor. After she tells James he deserves better than a "frumpy little housewife who doesn't have the ability to find a decent job" Rocks appears at the door. She continues to threaten him, stating that if he walks out the door she will fire him and he won't find another decent job for the rest of his 'pathetic' life. Her voice is cut off though as Rocks urinates all over her feet and the two leave. After discovering that Mollie and the kids are no longer at the car, James and Rocks are confronted by a pack of wolves. Rocks defends James and as the attack happens off screen, there are the sounds of James' beeper and a dog's yelping, presumably Rocks'.
Back at the ranger station, Mikey is looking out the window and he thinks he sees Santa hiking up the path to the station. All are surprised when James comes in the door. He explains that he was attacked by wolves and Rocks came to his rescue, leading Mikey and Daphne to believe sadly that he had been killed during this attack. James brings out his beeper, which has been crushed by the attack. Rocks appears and all is well again, apparently the sound of the beeper was what drove the wolves off and neither were hurt. After seeing that Rocks is obeying every command that comes out of James' mouth (though he doesn't realize it) Mollie votes that he stays, and they are one big happy family again. Daphne chooses Rocks as her mate. The ranger chimes in and states he's picking up a weird transmission on his radio. He turns the dial and Santa's voice is made out stating "Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" much to Mikey's surprise.
Cast
- John TravoltaJohn TravoltaJohn Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
- James Ubriacco - Kirstie AlleyKirstie AlleyKirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
- Mollie Ubriacco - David GallagherDavid GallagherDavid Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
- Michael "Mikey" Ubriacco - Tabitha LupienTabitha LupienTabitha Lupien is a Canadian actress and competitive dancer trained in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, and acrobatics. She trains with her sisters Lindsay and Samantha and her brother Isaac at the Canadian Dance Company, owned by her parents Allain and Dawn, located in Oakville, Ontario...
- Julie Ubriacco - Lysette AnthonyLysette AnthonyLysette Anthony is an English film, television, and theatre actress.-Early life:Anthony was born Lysette Chodzko in Fulham, London, the only daughter of actors Michael Anthony, and Bernadette Milnes....
- Samantha - George SegalGeorge SegalGeorge Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
- Albert - Olympia DukakisOlympia DukakisOlympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
- Rosie - Danny DeVitoDanny DeVitoDaniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
- Rocks (voice) - Diane KeatonDiane KeatonDiane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
- Daphne (voice)
Production
Unlike the previous films, the children no longer have voiceovers for their inner thoughts since they are now old enough to talk for themselves. Danny DeVitoDanny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
and Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
portray the Ubriacco family's pets. This also marked the film debuts of Tabitha Lupien
Tabitha Lupien
Tabitha Lupien is a Canadian actress and competitive dancer trained in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, and acrobatics. She trains with her sisters Lindsay and Samantha and her brother Isaac at the Canadian Dance Company, owned by her parents Allain and Dawn, located in Oakville, Ontario...
, and David Gallagher
David Gallagher
David Lee Gallagher is an American actor. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor and model at the age of two, Gallagher is a five-time Young Artist Award nominee and Teen Choice Award winner, best known for his role as Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven, as well as...
, best known for his later role as Simon Camden on 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
.
George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
who portrayed, Albert, the first film's antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, who is Mikey's biological father, reappears in briefly.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
makes a cameo appearance as himself. Don Rickles
Don Rickles
Donald Jay "Don" Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic....
does the voice of a wolf.
Twink Caplan
Twink Caplan
Twink Caplan is an American actress, comedian and producer. She is probably best known for her roles in Amy Heckerling's box office hits Clueless and the Look Who's Talking series.-Biography:...
, who portrayed Mollie's best friend Rona in the previous two films, does not appear in this film nor was she mentioned. Also Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas
Elias Koteas is a Canadian actor of film and television, best known for his roles in The Prophecy, Fallen and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.-Early life:...
, who portrayed Mollie's brother, Stuart, in the second film does also not appear nor was he mentioned. Both Caplan and Koteas declined to return for the third movie.
French singer Jordy
Jordy
Jordy Claude Daniel Lemoine , known as Jordy, is a French singer and musician.-Biography:Jordy is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest singer ever to have a #1 charted single. He achieved this feat at the age of four-and-a-half with the song "Dur dur d'être bébé !"...
performs, along with both David Gallagher and Tabitha Lupien, amongst other children, in a special music video for the film, titled It's Christmas C'est Noel from the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
album Potion magique.
Reception
The film received mixed to negative reviews upon its release. The film was also a box office bombBox office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
only making over $10 million, making it the lowest grossing film in the series. On the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, Look Who's Talking Now holds a 0% approval rating. Among the sequel's main problems were the lack of originality, the bland treatment of the children and its overblown ending.