Rated PG - Running Time: 1:26 - Released 10/5/01
MAX KEEBLE'S BIG MOVE
Rated PG - Running Time: 1:26 - Released 10/5/01
A "geek's revenge" movie with woefully low standards,
Max Keeble's Big Move is the product of Disney studios,
whose live-action department has become known of late for providing
substandard entertainment suitable only for those who will suck
up anything dished out to them on the big screen, i.e., kids under
12. Although it contains a few minor chuckles and a few reasonably
engaging performances, director Tim Hill's second feature film
(after the delightful Muppets
From Space) is a major step down.
The first effort of writing trio Jonathan Bernstein, Mark Blackwell,
and James Greer, the script for Max Keeble is one of those
where only the kids are sentient human beings, and all adults
are either well-meaning simpletons or evil, child-hating megalomaniacs.
It pits junior high school punching bag Max (Alex D. Linz) against
a number of unpleasant characters, including a psychotic principal
(Larry Miller), a vengeful ice cream vendor (Jamie Kennedy), a
high-strung extortionist (Orlando Brown), and a garden-variety
school bully (Noel Fisher). Although his career at Curtis Junior
High starts inauspiciously with a routine workover from all of
the above, he soon learns from his parents (Robert Carradine,
Nora Dunn) that the family is moving to Chicago. Realizing that
he will soon be out of range for retribution, Max decides to seize
the opportunity, planning elaborate pranks designed to out-bully
the bullies. Although his geeky friends Robe (Josh Peck) and Megan
(Zena Grey) aren't going anywhere, he convinces them to help with
the four-pronged assault, which involves an electronic pocket
organizer, a refrigerator coil, a spray bottle filled with animal
pheromones, and a six-foot Scottish frog named McGoogles. But
after the deeds are done, Max discovers to his horror that he's
not moving after all, and now must face the considerable music.
Tacked on to this scenario is his crusade to save an animal shelter
from destruction (presumably to lend some kind of noble context
to his vindictive aims), and his desire to win the affections
of the school hottie (Brooke Anne Smith).
Displaying the exact same kind of us-against-the-grownups mentality seen in Home Alone (the third installment of which featured Linz in the starring role) and Snow Day (in which Grey and Peck played supporting parts), Max is a study in pre-teen politics, where the respect one receives grows in direct proportion to his ability to undo others. It's not particularly funny for adults, but there are a few moments, like a spirited cafeteria food-fight scene that rivals the one in Animal House, the only scene in which it's obvious that the actors were having a great time. The film seems interminable despite its short, 86-minute running time, but maybe that was just me. This is the kind of film that, during the final reel, makes a movie critic wonder what he's doing with his life. *½