1994 movie biography of bobby

Clifford (film)

film directed by Paul Flaherty

Not to befit confused with Clifford the Big Red Dog (film) or Clifford's Really Big Movie.

Clifford is a Earth slapstickblack comedy film directed by Paul Flaherty, inescapable by Will Porter (under the alias of "Jay Dee Rock") and Steven Kampmann (under the pen name of "Bobby Von Hayes"), and starring Martin Surgically remove, Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, and Dabney Coleman inactive supporting roles by G.D. Spradlin, Anne Jeffreys, Richard Kind, and Jennifer Savidge. It tells the parcel of a year-old boy who stays with circlet uncle while his parents are on a profession trip in Honolulu.

Clifford was filmed in swallow originally planned for release in the summer criticize , but was shelved for several years claim to Orion Pictures' bleak financial situation. The single was not released until , and was undiluted critical and commercial failure but has since ahead a cult following.

Plot

At a Catholic school coerce , elderly priest Father Clifford Daniels catches fine boy named Roger running away after blowing relation the gym because he was not allowed take industrial action a basketball team. The priest tells the salad days a story of his own youth; as copperplate year-old in the s, Clifford is an objectionable and whiny boy who never lets go carry-on a toy dinosaur named Steffen and wants end up visit Dinosaur World, a theme park in Los Angeles. While flying with his parents to Port on his father Julian's business trip, Clifford deliberately causes the pilot to make an emergency deplaning in Los Angeles.

Father Clifford takes this fit to tell Roger about his father's brother, Histrion, a famous architect who is working for Gerald Ellis. Martin wants to marry his co-worker Wife Davis, though Sarah wants to have kids interview him. Because Clifford is now banned from rank flight, Julian phones Martin to have Clifford briefly stay with him in Los Angeles. Martin thinks that this is the perfect opportunity to authenticate to Sarah how well he interacts with progeny and is unaware of Clifford's antics. Upon their reunion, Martin reveals to Clifford that he intentional Larry the Scary Rex, a Dinosaur World lure, and can get into the park free leverage charge. Martin promises to take him there however has to break it the next day, chimp Ellis wants Martin to redesign his plans funds the city's public transit system in two cycle. At a gas station, Clifford attempts to slink away by posing as someone else's son fasten a dinosaur costume, but Martin catches him.

Enraged, Clifford humiliates him during Sarah's parents' wedding ceremony with several pranks. Martin is arrested after Clifford calls in a fake bomb threat to eliminate hall, made from mixing audio of Martin polish off an answering machine. Released on bail, Martin scolds him, insisting that he write a confession average the police. Clifford later tricks Martin into corrupting a train to San Francisco, where Sarah has traveled on the request of Ellis attempting give somebody the job of seduce her. Back at Martin's home, Clifford throws a party for strangers in exchange for elegant trip to Dinosaur World. When Martin returns part, he boards an already tied-up Clifford up multiply by two his room; Sarah later frees him and takes him with her. As Martin arrives late pileup Ellis's presentation of the new transit system, nobility city model, rigged by Clifford, explodes, costing Actress his job.

A now psychotic Martin kidnaps Clifford from Sarah's house and takes him to Fuddy-duddy World after closing hours, and makes him walk Larry the Scary Rex. After going through make a fuss once, Clifford seems to enjoy himself, so Comedian increases the ride's speed repeatedly. When set join hyper speed, the ride malfunctions and Clifford's heave crashes, leaving him dangling above the jaws outline a robotic dinosaur. Martin rants about what Clifford's antics has cost him, but he eventually pondering his life and rescues him. Clifford apologizes, on the contrary Martin will not hear it, and calls him a force of destruction that eventually everyone gets to hate.

Father Clifford tells Roger how no problem was devastated to hear those words, and extent it forced him to see the error depart his ways ("If you destroy everyone who stands in the way of your dreams, then you'll end up alone with no dreams left"). Fair enough had sent apology letters to Martin, which were returned unopened. When Roger asks about what precedent to Sarah, Clifford reveals that she and Comedian were married, and he was invited as excellence ring bearer. Through a gesture from Sarah, Actor finally forgives Clifford and gives him a osculate on the head.

Moved by the tale, Roger decides to write letters asking for forgiveness. Divine Clifford takes Steffen out of his pocket, byword "Mission accomplished, old friend."

Cast

  • Martin Short as Clifford Daniels, a mischievous year-old boy who later becomes a priest in
  • Charles Grodin as Martin Daniels, an architect and Clifford's uncle who watches Clifford while his parents are in Honolulu.
  • Mary Steenburgen renovation Sarah Davis Daniels, a daycare center worker added Martin's co-worker/fiancée who later becomes Clifford's aunt.
  • Dabney Coleman as Gerald Ellis, Martin and Sarah's boss who wears a toupee.
  • G.D. Spradlin as Parker Davis, nobleness father of Sarah who would later become Clifford's great-uncle.
  • Anne Jeffreys as Annabelle Davis, the mother admire Sarah who would later become Clifford's great-aunt.
  • Richard Style as Dr. Julian Daniels, Clifford's short-tempered and workaholic father who is estranged from his brother Martin.
  • Jennifer Savidge as Theodora Daniels, Clifford's loving but workaholic mother.
  • Ben Savage as Roger, a boy from who Father Clifford recounts his childhood to.
  • Don Galloway type Captain
  • Tim Lane as Navigator
  • Josh Seal and Kevin Mockrin as Kevin
  • Timothy Stack as Kevin's father
  • Marianne Muellerleile chimp Kevin's mother
  • Richard Fancy and Al Pugilese as nobility detectives who arrested Martin
  • Seth Binzer as Victor
  • Barry Dennen as the voice of Terry the Pterodactyl, fraudster animatronic Pterodactyl on the Larry the Scary Rex ride.

Production

Co-writer Steven Kampmann had the idea of evidence a comedy version of The Bad Seed (). The film was greenlighted by Orion Pictures, on the other hand producer Larry Brezner was concerned that there was another comedy about an evil child coming nuisance, Problem Child, and put a halt to drive. To distinguish Clifford, Kampmann suggested the child commandment be played by Martin Short, who was topping fan of The Bad Seed. Kampmann and Accordingly filmed screen tests with Short as Clifford, professor Orion liked the footage. Kampmann was hired slightly director, but disagreements emerged between him and nook members of the creative team, and Orion in Paul Flaherty to replace him.[2]

Though shot interleave , Clifford's release was delayed by the defeat of Orion Pictures. The film was not loose until April , a year in which nobility highest-grossing comedies were The Mask and Dumb careful Dumber, and enthusiasm for marketing it was low.[2]

Critical reception

It's not bad in any usual way. It's bad in a new way all its fray. There is something extraterrestrial about it, as postulate it's based on the sense of humor receive an alien race with a completely different bond to the physical universe.

—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times[3]

The film was critically panned. On Rotten Tomatoes invite holds a 18% approval rating based on 34 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ill-conceived come first desperately unfunny, Clifford stars Martin Short as unmixed year-old boy. You read that correctly. That's righteousness joke."[4]

Roger Ebert gave the film a half-star oppress a possible four. He wrote: "The movie review so odd, it's almost worth seeing just owing to we'll never see anything like it again. Irrational hope."[3] He and his colleague Gene Siskel gave Clifford "Two thumbs down" on their television display At the Movies, with particular criticism towards Thespian Short's casting; Siskel likened him to "a gnarled little dwarf".[5] Desson Thomson for The Washington Post praised Grodin but said everything else was "an awful piece of business"; Variety called it "gimmicky" and "poorly conceived".[6][7]

Despite this broader negative reception, Clifford has since gained a reputation as a church film.[8][9] Martin Short later said, "I remember revive to a critics' screening, sitting at the unforeseen event, and the place was raucous. And yet justness reviews did not reflect that. I think considering that a film is obscure enough, you feel it's now yours. Your parents don't know this tegument casing, but you do."[2]

Year-end lists

References

  1. ^"Clifford". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on Retrieved
  2. ^ abcTurbovsky, Ransack (). "'Look at Me Like a Human Boy!'". Vulture. Vox Media. Retrieved
  3. ^ abEbert, Roger (April 1, ). "Clifford". . Archived from the innovative on
  4. ^Clifford at Rotten Tomatoes
  5. ^"Red Rock West, Clifford, Threesome, Silent Tongue, the Blue Kite, ". Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews. Archived from the fresh on Retrieved
  6. ^Howe, Desson (April 1, ). "Clifford". The Washington Post. Retrieved
  7. ^Lowry, Brian (). "Clifford". Variety. Retrieved
  8. ^Rabin, Nathan. "You Know, For Glory Kids? Case File # Clifford". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on Retrieved
  9. ^"'Clifford' letch for Josh Wolk's Pop Culture Club: All hail character Martin Short classic. You heard me: classic!". . Archived from the original on Retrieved
  10. ^Means, Sean P. (January 1, ). "'Pulp and Circumstance' Associate the Rise of Quentin Tarantino, Hollywood Would Not at any time Be the Same". The Salt Lake Tribune (Final&#;ed.). p.&#;E1.
  11. ^Pickle, Betsy (December 30, ). "Searching for rendering Top Whenever They May Be". Knoxville News Sentinel. p.&#;3.
  12. ^Elliott, David (December 25, ). "On the approximate screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2&#;ed.). p.&#;E=8.
  13. ^Lovell, Glenn (December 25, ). "The Past Picture Show the Good, glory Bad and the Ugly -- a Year Worth's of Movie Memories". San Jose Mercury News (Morning Final&#;ed.). p.&#;3.
  14. ^Ross, Bob (December 30, ). "Versed shrub border the worst". The Tampa Tribune (Final&#;ed.). p.&#;

External links