One positive result from this wacky adventure: Avery learns to be responsible. She really shines when its all up to her.
I don't see why kids shouldn't enjoy it. I mention this because someone put a TV-14 rating, with D for dialogue and L for language. I don't recall any language bad enough to need a TV-14 rating. Some dialogue was slightly on the naughty side and there was some bathroom humor (no, that's a candy bar, Simon says). But only the most conservative parents would have a problem with this, and maybe some young children shouldn't see it.
I've never seen the name Alana Baer, but she has lots of potential. She's wonderful here. Maybe not Oscar caliber (nothing about this movie should be considered to be that level) but she should have been getting more roles. Our first impression didn't really show her talent because her first line was delivered poorly, but the blooper reel shows she kept messing that one up and, hey it was good enough eventually. The bloopers at the end aren't really that great, by the way.
Nina Ann Nelson is also quite good. I mean for this material. Just the right balance of rebellious and responsible.
I remember Andrew Lawrence on a TV series with his brothers. I'm not sure what constitutes a great performance when a 30-year-old plays a 2-year-old, but I think he delivers. Absolutely hilarious.
I recognized Maureen McCormick, but really, there's not much here for her fans. She's pretty for her age, and she has sort of an attitude, but there's just not much to what she does.
A couple of scenes have stereotypical techniques from Saturday morning cartoons. A group of people watching a magician in the park move to the left and then to the right and a really strange way, almost like robots, with xylophone music. And then there is the chase going in one direction in the hospital, and then the other, with the whole group moving in exactly the same manner both times (including a wheelchair) except for patient who was in surgery. It was fun for me, anyway.
I hate to complain when I enjoyed the movie so much, but not everyone reaches their full potential. Janina Washington has her moments as Veronica, but for her and Oaff the writing and acting are mostly kind of weak and could have been better. In fact, this is pretty much true for anyone who has a lot of lines except for Avery, Calamity, Simon and Bobby. The exceptions may be Sgt. Jiles and Underbrunter. Also, there is some sloppy editing which I assume resulted from bloopers, only those bloopers, if they happened, weren't shown at the end.
This movie has lots of good music, including traditional jazz such as what is played at the end of the closing credits. There are other related styles of music for which I can't identify a genre, but a lot of it has a style similar to early rock and roll. Then there are a few scenes with the dreck Avery might like. She mentions One Direction. The first part of the closing credits, where each actor is shown with his or her name, has something with that kind of sound.
It's a wildly fun and hilarious adventure, not Oscar-worthy but good for some laughs.
