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Each year, a number of Halloween releases hit theaters. Usually, they’re cheaply-made horror movies, filled with ghosts and serial killers and other nightmare-inducing creatures. Rarely do you see a Halloween-themed teen comedy. And after seeing director Josh Schwartz’s Fun Size, I’d have to say that it’s probably best that way.
Fun Size stars Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice as Wren, a nerdy Cleveland teen who seems headed for teen greatness when she’s invited to the Halloween party of the year, hosted by teen hottie Aaron Riley (Thomas McDonell). The problem? Her recently widowed mom, Joy (Chelsea Handler), is going through some kind of midlife crisis, and she’s decided to join her 20-something boyfriend, Keevin (Josh Pence), at his friend’s Halloween party. And that leaves Wren to spend the night chasing after her trouble-making little brother, Albert (Jackson Nicoll).
What starts out as a big downer of a night gets even worse when Albert goes missing. And instead of partying with Aaron Riley, Wren and her best friend, April (Jane Levy), end up on a big, crazy quest to bring Albert home safely.
Fun Size is an utterly perplexing film. It seems to be trying to appeal to all audiences, with separate but interwoven storylines involving a single mom, a 20-something slacker, a group of insecure teens, and a mute eight-year-old. In the process of trying to please everyone, though, it ends up being appropriate for absolutely no one.
Though it features the star of a kids’ TV show, it’s rated PG-13—and for some pretty good reasons. The humor is sometimes crude, and it’s filled with grown-up references and situations that aren’t exactly kid-friendly—so that weeds out the young kids. And since the main storyline involves a couple of teenage girls and a little kid, older audiences just won’t care.
And, really, that’s for the best. Though the random story seems to be an attempt at wild and crazy, The Hangover-style comedy for a younger crowd, it generally falls flat. The characters are a bunch of stereotypes (like the brainless social climber and the hippy lesbian moms), and the comedy rarely earns anything more than pity chuckles.
The best part of the film, however, is Albert. The adventurous little Silent-Bob-in-the-making makes every scene just a little bit better with his animated facial expressions and up-for-anything attitude. His storyline is filled with mischief and mayhem—from bustin’ a move at a club to setting an apartment building on fire. But, once again, while his antics may be entertaining, they’re not necessarily kid-friendly.
Fun Size clearly had some pretty big goals in mind, setting out to please everyone from little kids to middle-aged moms. But, instead, it’s a confounding comedy that doesn’t really work for any audience at all. So the next time you’re in the mood for a Halloween movie, stick with something that’s more intentionally scary.
Blu-ray Review:
The Blu-ray release of Fun Size comes with the standard extras: a gag reel, some deleted scenes, a music video (as well as a feature on the making of the music video), and a making-of feature. But the best of the bunch is Jackson Nicoll – Trouble Sized!, a short feature that follows the film’s little show-stealer around the set. So if you have a few minutes to spare after watching the movie, be sure to check it out.
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