Seymour (Rick Moranis) is a klutz of a shop assistant that works in a unsuccessful flower shop and is deeply in love with his co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greenie) who's dating a sadistic dentist (Steve Martin), but when he discovers a weird looking plant one day and decides to nurture it and place it in the shop's window. There's a sudden interest as nobody knows anything about it. Suddenly, his famous and the shop has a change of fortune, with business flowing all because of Seymour's unique plant named Audrey II, which people come to see. But what nobody knows, except for Seymour that Audrey II is no ordinary plant, but an men eating one which craves more and more blood. So, now Seymour is knocking off unexpected victims to fulfil its needs and if not he might share the same fate?
Another musical this week, *hmm* last time I check I remember not being too fond of that genre, but watching this and "The Happiness of the Katakuris" (2001) has probably changed that around. Could it? Uh, actually if I think about it, the possible reason why, is because I enjoyed the unusual and campy nature of both. Well, both were hardly a dreary viewing and I enjoyed the nostalgia feel of the 80s within this piece.
Anyway, director Frank Oz does a fine job on this rapidly inventive remake of the off-Broadway musical which was influenced by Roger Corman's cheap and quickie 1960's version of "The Little Shop of Horrors." Which is one of my favourite Corman productions, if not my favourite. This remake is definitely a strange piece with it boasting some bold musical numbers and juicy dialogue. Reality is thrown out of the window, but it was highly entertaining because of that. At least it still manages to keep the dark humour that flowed in the original. These musical sequences are colourfully drawn up, with fairly catchy tunes and the backdrop/sets where covered with great amount of detail even though they come across more plastic than anything. But hold on there, you know what really makes this film better the lively performances. Especially from some standout star cameos. Which you got to put it down to Steve Martin's joyous performance as the sadist dentist. He just shapes the film for me and that song "I'm a Dentist" was a real ball to listen to. But also that scene in the dentist with Bill Murrey as a masochist had me cracking up as well. Others to make some memorable appearances were John Candy, James Belushi and Christopher Guest. The main players were perfect in their roles. Rick Moranis as the bumbling but sweet Seymour looked and acted the part and the same for Ellen Greenie as Audrey. Vincent Gardenia was good too as Mr. Mushnik the flower shop owner.
The musical score was done by multiple Academy Award winners Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, so it was sure to exceed everyone's expectations. Howard Ashman's screenplay makes sure that there's a lot fun to be had with its amusing scenarios and broad humour, but also making the beat grow within each reel. What went hand and hand was the sharp editing and showy camera-work. The effects were top-notch, I thought. Audrey II was sublime in appearance, the puppet looked great! Plus the personality of it shined with the song "Mean green mother from outer space" being one of the film's highlights. Although I bet when it came to the bigger versions of the plant it was a pain to shoot. A rather polished production, despite its miniature budget.
What disappointed me more than anything was that when I watched the commentary and learnt they change the ending because their test screen audience didn't like the two central characters being killed off, so they went back and re-shot a happy ending, which I thought felt misplaced. Really, I wouldn't have cared if they got knocked off. Oh well it looks like I'm in the minority, as most people I read prefer this ending.
An enjoyably trashy romp of a musical!
Another musical this week, *hmm* last time I check I remember not being too fond of that genre, but watching this and "The Happiness of the Katakuris" (2001) has probably changed that around. Could it? Uh, actually if I think about it, the possible reason why, is because I enjoyed the unusual and campy nature of both. Well, both were hardly a dreary viewing and I enjoyed the nostalgia feel of the 80s within this piece.
Anyway, director Frank Oz does a fine job on this rapidly inventive remake of the off-Broadway musical which was influenced by Roger Corman's cheap and quickie 1960's version of "The Little Shop of Horrors." Which is one of my favourite Corman productions, if not my favourite. This remake is definitely a strange piece with it boasting some bold musical numbers and juicy dialogue. Reality is thrown out of the window, but it was highly entertaining because of that. At least it still manages to keep the dark humour that flowed in the original. These musical sequences are colourfully drawn up, with fairly catchy tunes and the backdrop/sets where covered with great amount of detail even though they come across more plastic than anything. But hold on there, you know what really makes this film better the lively performances. Especially from some standout star cameos. Which you got to put it down to Steve Martin's joyous performance as the sadist dentist. He just shapes the film for me and that song "I'm a Dentist" was a real ball to listen to. But also that scene in the dentist with Bill Murrey as a masochist had me cracking up as well. Others to make some memorable appearances were John Candy, James Belushi and Christopher Guest. The main players were perfect in their roles. Rick Moranis as the bumbling but sweet Seymour looked and acted the part and the same for Ellen Greenie as Audrey. Vincent Gardenia was good too as Mr. Mushnik the flower shop owner.
The musical score was done by multiple Academy Award winners Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, so it was sure to exceed everyone's expectations. Howard Ashman's screenplay makes sure that there's a lot fun to be had with its amusing scenarios and broad humour, but also making the beat grow within each reel. What went hand and hand was the sharp editing and showy camera-work. The effects were top-notch, I thought. Audrey II was sublime in appearance, the puppet looked great! Plus the personality of it shined with the song "Mean green mother from outer space" being one of the film's highlights. Although I bet when it came to the bigger versions of the plant it was a pain to shoot. A rather polished production, despite its miniature budget.
What disappointed me more than anything was that when I watched the commentary and learnt they change the ending because their test screen audience didn't like the two central characters being killed off, so they went back and re-shot a happy ending, which I thought felt misplaced. Really, I wouldn't have cared if they got knocked off. Oh well it looks like I'm in the minority, as most people I read prefer this ending.
An enjoyably trashy romp of a musical!