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Toys (1992)

Director: Barry Levinson

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Levinson's film not only establishes a daunting benchmark for the year's worst, its dire whimsicality will impel many viewers to rush home and kick the hamster. Following the death of toy manufacturer Zevo (O'Connor) whose beanie has ceased to spin, Zevo Toys is inherited by villainous Uncle Leland (Gambon), who plans to pervert the innocent business into the production of lethal military weapons. For most of the film, nephew Leslie (Williams) is too wimpish to oppose him, and his sister Alsatia (Cusack) is clearly one step ahead of the butterfly nets. It's all finally resolved by a war between the toys, with teddy bears dropping like ninepins before the computerised tanks. Some marks for Scarfiotti's sets, but the concept - 'Open the doors to your imagination' goes the injunction - is so sub-Tim Burton that those doors fly shut. The script is haphazard, and our Gambon gets a scene to explain why, as an American general, he sounds so English. Williams has been playing nauseatingly cute for ages, but achieves a new squashiness here as a chatterbox Andy Pandy. Unbelievably rotten.

Author: BC 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

  • Kikka said...
    Posted on Nov 18 2007 05:42 Shut up, you British anarchist. This movie is good for those who have time for something else than arranging their pens in a size order.
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Cast & crew

Director: Barry Levinson

Producer: Mark Johnson, Barry Levinson

Cast: Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, Robin Wright, LL Cool J, Donald O'Connor, Arthur Malet, Jack Warden full cast

Genre(s): Comedy

Duration: 121 mins


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