North

Tired of suffering neglect and endless rows, bright, popular, eight-year-old North (Wood) makes history by divorcing his parents; the catch is he has to find acceptable replacements by Labor Day, or he'll end up in an orphanage or back with Mom and Dad. Cue a frantic odyssey to Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, Africa where sundry would-be parents fail to live up to his dreams. And what if he decides to go home? Would his pal Winchell (McCurley), riding high on the nationwide fervour he's whipped up in kids against their folks, allow North to abandon the cause? Reiner is undecided just how fantastically he should treat this ludicrous plotline. Added to which there's a dire musical number, a silly thriller subplot, and much maudlin didacticism from narrator Willis in various guardian angel (dis)guises. Misery.