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Rating:  -
Why does everyone expect this to be a TV-show clone? For gosh sakes, it would be critcized for being too akin to the TV show because it wouldn't be original. I think those people need to open their horizons.
Leave it to Beaver is an incredibly well done film. It is true to the series only in bits and pieces, but it really shines anyway.
The acting is superb. It's all excellent. No actor/actress in the film did even one thing wrong with their roles. It was truly an improvement over most Disney films.
The storyline and plot is, like most Disney films, toned down and simplified for younger kids. Their is truly only two full plots: Wally and Karen's jumbles, and Beaver's main story. See, that keeps it enjoyable for all.
The script and words themselves were written in clear, direct language. As such, Beaver has a bit of a lyspy voice, but it can be forgiven. He was young. Again, the movie's actual talk was toned down mostly for younger ones.
The movie really doesn't have SFX to talk about. Like most Disney films, it focuses on charm. It certainly chose well.
All in all, they did a great job!
Rating:  -
Leave it to Beaver. I think everyone has seen that television show at least once, and I know that I, for one, loved it... even though it was completely unrealistic. But who cares? It was a cute little show.
The movie is the exact same way; don't expect something COMPLETELY lifelike... but DO expect something a bit different from the original show. The Cleavers have been updated... and I think my favorite part was when Mrs. Cleaver told Eddie Haskill off... that was great.
The characters have a great performance, too... Adam Zolotin was a great Eddie Haskill, and Christopher McDonald was the perfect Ward.
And watch out for cameo appearances from a couple of the original stars of the series. Those were great to see.
All in all, if you want to see a movie that makes you think, don't get it. It isn't that kind of a thing... but for a family movie, I don't think that there's a better one.
Rating:  -
It's interesting to compare this film with "The Brady Bunch Movie", another big-screen adaptation of a ubiquitous old TV sitcom that appeared in theaters a year or two earlier.
Both movies take a postmodern approach, self-consciously referencing the period origins of the source material. But whereas "Brady" used this to a comically dichotomous effect (placing the literally-stuck-in-the-'70s clan inside a dysfunctional '90s Los Angeles), "Beaver" attempts a synthesis in which '50s cultural mores and aesthetic values still hold sway in the present day. Thus, we're treated on the one hand to such contemporary accoutrements as home PCs, cell phones, and flat-screen televisions--at one point Ward and a miniskirted(?!) June are seen watching a "Home Improvement" episode--and on the other hand to such iconic '50s paraphernalia as white picket fences, soda shops, pigtailed little girls, teenage guys in letterman sweaters, and women in ever-present pearls and high heels.
While the overall tone of this film is sweetly nostalgic rather than abrasively ironic a la the "Brady" movie, one can't help feeling that at some level we're being winked at; viewed in a certain light, this "Beaver" could almost be taken as a sly satire of Republican family values posturing and '50s fetishism. There's a decidedly Stepfordian quality to much of the film, particularly in Janine Turner's portrayal of June. On the other hand, it's difficult to imagine a "straight" update of the show that wouldn't in some way have sacrificed either plausibility or the spirit of the original.
Nonetheless, on a less critical level this movie works as serviceable family entertainment. Parents, especially those put off by the aforementioned "Brady Bunch" film, will be relieved at "Beaver"'s gentle, kid-friendly quality; and fans of the original will delight in some well-placed cameo appearances.
Rating: -
Well, I definitely liked this movie! I know many of the reviews on this page seem to think it was terrible, and perhaps if I had grown up with the TV show, I would agree. However, I didn't, and so I don't! I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it was just a fun, heartwarming movie that will make anyone laugh, if only a little bit. At the end of watching this movie, I was happy. That's all I can say. I didn't try comparing it to the TV show, I just decided to watch a movie, and I have no regrets. It was fun, and it would always be what I would recommend to relieve some stress at the end of a long day.
Rating:  -
"Yeah,Beav, this is a real gyp." This sad effort resembles the original in name only; the cast, script, and direction all reek of pure incompetence, and the ineptitude of all those connected with this film is clearly demonstrated at every turn. This horrific mess is nothing less than a travesty.
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