Jay Raskin This movie is a series of slapstick gags mostly set within a restaurant. The first half seems quite mean-spirited and uninvolving, while the second half does capture a spirit of zaniness that makes it watchable if not very enjoyable.Margo Harshman and Michelle Brookhurst do a good job as the protagonist and antagonist and can look forward hopefully to better things. John Larraquette and Leslie Ann Warren have done better things and hopefully will look on this as the low point of their distinguished careers.I think the target audience for the film is kids 8-12 years old. They might enjoy some of it. Adults will be bored rather than amused.

sten3001 Home Alone crossed with Spy Kids but set at a brand new gourmet restaurant. My grandchildren and I enjoyed it immensely on a rainy Saturday afternoon. As a former chef I much appreciated the antics of the kids as they tried to make up for their missing parents at the restaurant's opening, meanwhile fending off the evil doings of a rival restaurant, while dealing with fussy customers and imperious restaurant critics. John Larroqutte does his usual masterful job as does Leslie Ann Warren, as his wife. The kids are marvelous, going from sibling hatred to grudging respect as they are forced to team up to try to save the day for the family. William Propp's script offers more comic twists than a pushcart pretzel.

km004a5534 Possibly the worst comedy that I have ever seen. I cannot even think of an age group that might enjoy this cliché-ridden garbage. I made the huge mistake of buying the DVD and I wanted to enjoy it. In the event, I never smiled once whilst watching it.If you collect all the hackneyed old scenes from every comedy film that you can think of and string them loosely together, you do not have a comedy. If you then get all of the adults to act like idiots and make the children be irritating, you still don't have a comedy. Comedy is all about comic timing. Don't expect any of that here! It pains me that in this day and age, with all the wonderful comedy of recent years, these particular film-makers appear to have learnt nothing whatsoever! Truly dire! Recipe For Disaster? It certainly is!

fingerpaintfilms This movie does not break any new ground -- but it does offer some great characters and some unbounded silliness. The writing is clever, the camera work is skilled, but the performances from the ensemble are what make the movie work. John Laroquette shines as always, the kids are adorable, and Bill Dawes as the archvillian across the street does some physical comedy on par with Jim Carrey. In particular, check out the single camera shot of him flipping headfirst into a bucket.