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DVD The Borrowers
The popular children's books by Mary Norton have been filmed before, but never with as much imagination and ingenuity as you'll find on display in this delightful fantasy film released to critical praise in 1998. The "Borrowers" of the title are a family of tiny people who live in the walls and under the floorboards in the homes of "normal-sized" humans; they earn their by "borrowing" the household items (string, food crumbs, buttons, etc.) needed to furnish their tiny hiding places and provide their meals. The little Clock family lives happily undisturbed in the home of an aged aunt, but when the aunt dies and her will is stolen by an unscrupulous lawyer (John Goodman), the Clocks face eviction and the frightening hazards of the outside world. Under the ingenious direction of Peter Hewitt, this simple, straightforward movie mixes comedy, adventure, and suspense with some of the cleverest special effects you've ever seen, taking full advantage of effects technologies to immerse you in the world of the tiny people. A climactic chase scene in a milk-bottling plant is a visual tour de force, and the movie's smart and dazzling enough to entertain parents and children alike. After its modest success in theaters, The Borrowers stands a good chance of becoming a home-video favorite. --Jeff Shannon
The borrower is a good movie I think it is cool to watch. It is about tiny people that borrower from humans. They aren't supposed to be seen and a young boy tries to find out why his things go missing. It is good because you can watch it over and over again and not get board.
Rachael L
For kids only
The movie is very loosely based upon a book by Mary Norton about the Clock family, small people (about six inches tall) who live underneath the floorboards of a house, surviving by borrowing things from humans "beans". When they are discovered, they are forced to move.
I was very disappointed with this movie. The only way to enjoy this film is if you haven't read the books. The acting was good, if over the top, but that was the kind of acting needed in a film like this, which seemed to be a combination of "Home Alone" and "Mouse Hunt". But the direction was very odd. The movie seemed to be set in the 1950's, yet characters in the movie used a remote for the (black and white) TV and a cellular phone. The costuming was also odd. Yes, they had to make do with what they could "borrow" to make clothes, but their outfits, and the really odd hairdos, made them look like creatures from another planet. Also, have the cast was British and half was American, which added to the confusion about what world the movie was set in.
On the other hand, the special effects were quite good. The best part of the DVD is the sequence that shows how the special effects were done. It was very interesting, but it used too many clips from the movie and not enough clips of how they did the special affects. There are also interviews with the cast, with the exception of John Goodman.
Little kids will like this movie, but adults should stay away.
Fun Adaptation of Norton Classic
I just had the opportunity to see the film The Borrowers starring John Goodman as the evil Mr. Potter. Overall the movie is fun and entertaining and it has been so long since I read the books that I can't be sure the weak points originate in the movie (although I believe they do).
The movie is based upon a series of books by Mary Norton about a race of small people who live in the cracks and walls of the world and are known for borrowing things from humans (or beings). The story centers around one borrower family who are the last of their kind in an old house. Their existence is threatened when the evil Mr. Potter sees to kicking out the being inhabitants in order to knock the house down. There then follows a series of adventures as borrowers and beings alike try to save the house from destruction.
The weak points in the movie concern anachronisms. For the most part the movie is set decades ago as in the books. But annoying anachronisms pop up such as a cellular phone and an in-door ice maker. Considering the vintage of the vehicles on the street these items really stand out. But despite the anachronisms the movie remains entertaining with some very good performances from Goodman and the rest of the cast.
Young Hal Scardino stars as a sensitive boy who discovers a way to bring plastic toys to life in a locked cupboard. One of those toys, a 19th-century Iroquois warrior (played by actor Litefoot), was actually a real warrior now only several inches tall. A bond eventually develops between boy and warrior, and a six-shooting toy cowboy (David Keith). As with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Indian in the Cupboard (which was written by E.T. scribe Melissa Mathison) is about a magical visitor connecting with a lonely child. But director Frank Oz (In & Out) has made the film far too stiff and dramatically flat to get across the enchantment necessary to make the fantasy work. Watching this is like listening to someone who can't tell a good story to save his life,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Hal Scardino - Litefoot Director(s): Frank Oz DVD Release Date: Released the 03 July 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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They've tried Catzilla, a feline so ferocious it can't be euthanized. They've tried booby traps that Rube Goldberg would marvel at. They've even tried Caesar (hilariously played by Christopher Walken), a demented exterminator whose "Squeak Seeker 2000" mouse-cam will infiltrate even the cleverest rodent's secret lair. But the Smuntz brothers Ernie (Nathan Lane) and Lars (British comedian Lee Evans) just can't win against the tenacious mouse that wreaks havoc in the vintage home they've inherited from their father. That's the one-note premise of this chaotic, lavishly produced comedy that starts on a high note and never lets up, eventually leaving the viewer exhausted. The special mouse effects (live-action, animatronic, and computer-generated) are delightful, and the slapstick is... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Nathan Lane - Lee Evans Director(s): Gore Verbinski DVD Release Date: Released the 02 January 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This feature production from Nickelodeon is based on a popular kids' book from the 1960s by Louise Fitzhugh, and stars Michelle Trachtenberg as an 11-year-old wannabe journalist who writes all her observations about friends in a diary. When the book is stolen and read by her peers, she's ostracized. The film is hard to watch for all its sensory overload (rapid cuts, kooky camera angles), but its theme of finding a balance between a commitment to one's voice and one's obligations to others is fairly wise stuff. With Rosie O'Donnell and Eartha Kitt. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Michelle Trachtenberg - Rosie O'Donnell Director(s): Bronwen Hughes DVD Release Date: Released the 27 May 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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