| Fun Size | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Josh Schwartz |
| Written by | Max Werner |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Yaron Orbach |
| Edited by | Michael L. Sale Wendy Greene Bricmont |
| Music by | Deborah Lurie |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release date |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $14 million[2] |
| Box office | $11.4 million[2] |
Fun Size is a 2012 Americanteencomedy film directed byJosh Schwartz, written by Max Werner, and starringVictoria Justice,Thomas Mann,Jane Levy andChelsea Handler.
The film tells the story of a teenage girl'sHalloween plans gone awry when she's made to babysit her young brother, who disappears into a sea oftrick-or-treaters and with her best friends and twonerds at her side, she needs to find her brother before her mom realizes he's missing.
Fun Size was released in theaters on October 26, 2012, byParamount Pictures. The film received negative reviews from critics and was abox office bomb, grossing only $11.4 million worldwide against a $14 million budget.[3]
InCleveland, Ohio,[4] Joy, the widowed mother of high school senior Karen “Wren” DeSantis, is dating a 26-year-old named Keevin. Wren has her heart set on college life atNew York University. Her friend April has her eyes set on social status, and Wren's nerdy friend Roosevelt has his heart set on Wren. The two girls are surprised when they find they are invited to a Halloween party by heartthrob Aaron Riley.
However, on the night Wren is supposed to go to the party, she is tasked by her mother to take her 8-year-old brother Albert trick-or-treating so she can go to a party with Keevin. The party that Keevin invites Joy to turns out to be run by his friend Nate Brueder.
At a haunted house later that night, Wren and April run into Roosevelt and his best friend Peng, at which point Albert wanders off on his own. They just miss him at a local convenience store, where he meets an employee named Fuzzy who seeks revenge against Jörgen, a mixed-martial arts fighter, who won the heart of his ex-girlfriend Lara. At Wren's urging, Roosevelt asks his parents, two semi-eccentric pacifistic lesbians, to borrow their Volvo. When they refuse, he takes the car anyway.
Wren frantically searches for Albert all over town. She suspects that he might be at a local Captain Chicken restaurant onEuclid Avenue, a fictional pirate-themed fast food chain. Again they just miss him, almost running him over while fleeing local bully Mike Puglio. Albert is then rescued by Denise, a college girl dressed as "Galaxy Scout" (a fictional anime character). After Roosevelt accidentally destroys the restaurant's mechanical chicken statue and severely damages the car, and Peng angrily shoots Puglio's drumstick with his loaded 1800s-style pistol, April escapes.
After being harassed and robbed of his candy by Jörgen at a party with Denise, and remembering Fuzzy's description of him, Albert stows away in his convertible. Wren, Roosevelt, and Peng drive off looking for him, and now April, who later calls from Aaron Riley's party with the false impression that she has found Albert. Wren, Roosevelt, and Peng arrive at the party, and the earlier duel with Puglio gives Peng some social acceptance.
Wren receives a phone call from Jörgen, who is holding Albert hostage at his house. He threatens to turn him over to the police for pulling the stunt with Fuzzy, unless she gives him a ransom of $400 in cash, which she doesn't have.
After Jörgen gives her his address, Wren desperately runs through the streets of Cleveland trying to find his house. Arriving and telling him she doesn't have the money, he calls the police but puts them on hold when Wren finds out that he is a fan of theBeastie Boys. She offers to give him the collectible jacket she inherited from her late father, which was left behind byMike D in his recording studio, as a substitute for cash.
Jörgen seems interested in her offer, but he says he is still reporting them to thepolice. Then Fuzzy breaks in to rescue the boy and his older sister by throwing fireworks throughout the house. Jörgen is injured in the explosion.
Wren and Albert visit the cemetery where their father is buried and place a plastic pumpkin with flowers on his grave. Albert thanks Wren for finding and rescuing him, just before their mother picks them up and drives them home.
Roosevelt shows up at the house, stating that he will get a part-time job at Captain Chicken to pay off the damages that he caused, and declaring his feelings for Wren. Joy then takes Albert inside, allowing Wren and Roosevelt to share a kiss. Meanwhile, April wakes up to find herself in the arms of Peng and, after looking around for witnesses decides to make out with him again.
Fuzzy meets Denise, who asks him out on a date. He also reveals that his real name is Manuel. Later, Albert reveals that he secretly has been pulling prank phone calls on both his mother, sister, and his sister's friend for six months, which includes the uploading of a video to Wren'sFacebook page, making fun of Wren's bug dance and "explaining rap".
In January 2011, it was announced thatJosh Schwartz would direct the film as his feature film directorial debut.[8] By the spring of 2011, the lead role had been offered toVictoria Justice,[9] andJane Levy had entered talks for her role in the film, with Paramount announcing initial plans for the project to be shot inMinnesota.[10][11] The location was changed toMichigan and later toCleveland, Ohio.[12] When the production moved to Cleveland, a home was scouted and selected in Cleveland, Ohio. In June 2011,Chelsea Handler entered negotiations to co-star in the film.[13][5][14][15] The film was released on October 26, 2012.[13][7][16] Director Josh Schwartz discounted Internet claims that he was playing a convenience-store clerk. "No," he said shortly before the movie opened. "I get asked about it a lot, but that's anIMDb mistake. There are convenience-store clerks in the movie – just none played by me!"[17]
A music video ofCarly Rae Jepsen's "This Kiss" was shown prior to the film's release in theaters andFun Size's star Thomas McDonell made a cameo in the music video.[18]Fun Size opened at #10, earning $4.1 million over its first weekend at 3,014 theaters and averaging about $1,361 per venue. The film earned $11.4 million and is the lowest grossingwide released film fromNickelodeon Movies.[19]Fun Size was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 19, 2013,[20] earning a profit of $888,095.[citation needed]
Fun Size received negative reviews from critics, several of whom criticized the adult humor and sexual content[21] despite the film's Nickelodeon pedigree.[22][23]Rotten Tomatoes reports that of 25% of 73 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.00/10. The consensus states: "It occasionally shows surprising flashes of wit, butFun Size is too safe and formulaic -- not to mention unfunny -- to survive comparisons to the '80s teen movies it eagerly imitates."[24] OnMetacritic, the film has an aggregated score of 37/100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[25]
Corey Hall of theDetroit Metro Times gave this film a score of C and said that "Most of the dialogue sounds like it came from 35-year-old guys — and not from Carly Rae Jepsen fans. Only Levy, who anchors the ABC sitcomSuburgatory, has the comedic chops to pull this stuff off — albeit barely."[26] Jen Chaney ofThe Washington Post gave this film a score of 1/4, calling it "a 90-minute theatrical release from Nickelodeon Productions that, if anything, should have aired as a half-hour Nickelodeon special."[23] David Martindale ofDallas Morning News gave the film a C+, saying, "like a 'fun size' chocolate bar, it's just empty calories. It's a momentary pleasure, instantly forgotten."[27] Mike McCahill ofThe Guardian described the film as a "smarmily opportunisticAdventures in Babysitting throwback".[28] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film 1.5/4 stars and wrote: "There's little fun to be had in this foolish Halloween comedy that generates many more eye rolls than laughs."[29] Alison Willmore ofThe A.V. Club gave the film a grade of D+, writing: "Justice is a pretty, personality-free screen presence, while the more interesting cast members, like Levy and Handler, are stuck in shrill, unsympathetic roles."[30]
On the positive side, Sheri Linden ofThe Hollywood Reporter enjoyed the film and wrote, "Though it doesn't always hit the hilarity target, this tween-targeted romp strikes a sweet-but-not-sappy balance."[31] Alonso Duralde ofTheWrap wrote: "Screenwriter Max Werner and director Josh Schwartz clearly have several well-worn copies of Adventures in Babysitting between them, but they keep the gags coming at a brisk pace."[32] Stephanie Zacharek ofNPR wrote: "The fun to be had inFun Size... is neither gigantic nor minuscule; it's just about fun size, which is probably enough."[33] Miriam Bale of theNew York Daily News gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "By the end of this romp, "Fun Size" actually accomplished something charming: sentimentality without normality."[34]
... we see downtown, the skyline, the majesty of the lake, the beauty and character of neighborhoods in Lakewood, Cleveland Heights and Beachwood and the rumpled urban charm of Collinwood, among other locales.
