Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Review: Fun Size

"Fun Size" fits all...except its target demographic

Nickelodeon Movies presents a politically incorrect, "hard PG-13" theatrical release that can't possibly air unedited on its parent cable channel.

Where's the closest multiplex?

Instead of going to a hot boy’s Halloween party, Wren (Victoria Justice) is ordered to take her 8-year-old, bonbon-eating bon vivant brother, Albert (Jackson Nicoll) trick or treating. The kid resembles a prepubescent Aldo Ray. When first we meet the brawny tyke, he is parked naked on the bowl dropping a deuce while sis finishes up her shower. All that's missing is a stogie and can of Blatz!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/29/34569/

Their dad is dead and Albert hasn't verbally communicated with anyone in over a year. He turns a page in his comic book before holding up one finger as if to say, “I’ll be off as soon as I finish this chapter.” As much as we all deplore plebeian fart humor, the added 'kerplunk' is a touch of aural splendor.

Fun Size encourages insensitive behavior in its viewers. A neighborhood dad calls stocky Albert on his uncanny ability to relieve a pumpkin-shaped trick-or-treat container of all its contents. "This kid doesn't need any more candy!" the grouch says to the boy's face. The fat jokes are not reserved strictly for those outside the immediate family. When the police ask for a description of Albert, Wren refers to her brother as a "fat pig."

Dressed as Spider-Man with a bloody stump, Albert is the type of kid for whom Benadryl Baby will definitely act as a stepping stone to harder drugs. (The young scrapper winds up making the bar scene with an older chick!) Even more problematic is the manner in which Albert is passed from adult male to adult male like a can of Pringles at a NAMBLA picnic.

Taking advantage of his new-found freedom, Albert's first stop is at a convenience store. Adult fanboy Fuzzy (Thomas Middleditch) works the register and is an admirer of Albert's arcade skills. Fuzzy is so star struck, for a moment he considers dropping condoms, laxatives, and/or chewing tobacco into the kid's trick-or-treat bag.

Virginal Wren enlists the aid of her slightly-sluttier BFF April (Jane Levy) and a pair of class nerds with wheels (Thomas Mann and Osric Chau) to join in her hunt for Albert. Wren approaches a pudgy formation dressed as Spidey. She pulls back the mask to reveal a middle-aged balding type who insists, "There is nothing wrong with this!" Forget about kidnapping and child endangerment; those are minor infractions in this Fun Size universe. It's the only film in history to stop the narrative on 3 different occasions so that male characters can proclaim their intentions pure.

Johnny Knoxville's cameo as a jackass with a blond mullet makes his work in The Ringer look like Chekov. And speaking of Tony C., fans of Russian drama won't leave hungry. If in the second act you have an Asian nerd dressed as Aaron Burr and carrying a loaded musket, then in the following one it should be fired.

What am I forgetting? Chelsea Handler's career -- she plays Wren and Albert's mother -- has officially jumped the shark. Other kid-friendly infractions include a CG cat that's allergic to the NAIR on April's backside, a pair of obese, scantily clad Samoans, an adorable African-American child saying, "You're not my mommy, bitch," a giant chicken humping a Volvo, mammogram jokes, and a can of slow-motion soda that that's timed to hit the floor with an ejaculatory splash the minute the nerd's feelings for Wren are made known.

They save the biggest laugh for last. The evening ends in pathos at dad's grave with Albert finally uttering a few syllables. (Oh, yeah: SPOILER ALERT!)

All this and a pre-credit Carly Rae Jepsen music video? I repeat: where's the closest multiplex?

Reader rating: One Star

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Trophy truck crushes four at Baja 1000

"Two other racers on quads died too,"

Nickelodeon Movies presents a politically incorrect, "hard PG-13" theatrical release that can't possibly air unedited on its parent cable channel.

Where's the closest multiplex?

Instead of going to a hot boy’s Halloween party, Wren (Victoria Justice) is ordered to take her 8-year-old, bonbon-eating bon vivant brother, Albert (Jackson Nicoll) trick or treating. The kid resembles a prepubescent Aldo Ray. When first we meet the brawny tyke, he is parked naked on the bowl dropping a deuce while sis finishes up her shower. All that's missing is a stogie and can of Blatz!

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/29/34569/

Their dad is dead and Albert hasn't verbally communicated with anyone in over a year. He turns a page in his comic book before holding up one finger as if to say, “I’ll be off as soon as I finish this chapter.” As much as we all deplore plebeian fart humor, the added 'kerplunk' is a touch of aural splendor.

Fun Size encourages insensitive behavior in its viewers. A neighborhood dad calls stocky Albert on his uncanny ability to relieve a pumpkin-shaped trick-or-treat container of all its contents. "This kid doesn't need any more candy!" the grouch says to the boy's face. The fat jokes are not reserved strictly for those outside the immediate family. When the police ask for a description of Albert, Wren refers to her brother as a "fat pig."

Dressed as Spider-Man with a bloody stump, Albert is the type of kid for whom Benadryl Baby will definitely act as a stepping stone to harder drugs. (The young scrapper winds up making the bar scene with an older chick!) Even more problematic is the manner in which Albert is passed from adult male to adult male like a can of Pringles at a NAMBLA picnic.

Taking advantage of his new-found freedom, Albert's first stop is at a convenience store. Adult fanboy Fuzzy (Thomas Middleditch) works the register and is an admirer of Albert's arcade skills. Fuzzy is so star struck, for a moment he considers dropping condoms, laxatives, and/or chewing tobacco into the kid's trick-or-treat bag.

Virginal Wren enlists the aid of her slightly-sluttier BFF April (Jane Levy) and a pair of class nerds with wheels (Thomas Mann and Osric Chau) to join in her hunt for Albert. Wren approaches a pudgy formation dressed as Spidey. She pulls back the mask to reveal a middle-aged balding type who insists, "There is nothing wrong with this!" Forget about kidnapping and child endangerment; those are minor infractions in this Fun Size universe. It's the only film in history to stop the narrative on 3 different occasions so that male characters can proclaim their intentions pure.

Johnny Knoxville's cameo as a jackass with a blond mullet makes his work in The Ringer look like Chekov. And speaking of Tony C., fans of Russian drama won't leave hungry. If in the second act you have an Asian nerd dressed as Aaron Burr and carrying a loaded musket, then in the following one it should be fired.

What am I forgetting? Chelsea Handler's career -- she plays Wren and Albert's mother -- has officially jumped the shark. Other kid-friendly infractions include a CG cat that's allergic to the NAIR on April's backside, a pair of obese, scantily clad Samoans, an adorable African-American child saying, "You're not my mommy, bitch," a giant chicken humping a Volvo, mammogram jokes, and a can of slow-motion soda that that's timed to hit the floor with an ejaculatory splash the minute the nerd's feelings for Wren are made known.

They save the biggest laugh for last. The evening ends in pathos at dad's grave with Albert finally uttering a few syllables. (Oh, yeah: SPOILER ALERT!)

All this and a pre-credit Carly Rae Jepsen music video? I repeat: where's the closest multiplex?

Reader rating: One Star

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tim Russert, Al Gore, Hulk Hogan, and...

Next Article

Particularly Rambunctious

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader