A film that shows slop is not a modern concept.
So this film is called the Stupid’s so you expect a level of stupidity, but not the aggressive level that this film presents you with. Maybe something more akin to Naked Gun or Mr Magoo, but no here the writing is as dumb as the characters are. Landis has tried to defend this in later years by saying it was aimed at kids, that might be so but why assume those kids are dumb?
There are scenes wherein it almost feels like this film is mocking the disabled, in many ways how these characters are could be considered medically slow or stupid, especially with how they interact with the world as such the film wanting you to laugh at them feels mean-spirited like when Adam Sandler does his learning disabled impression. Maybe cruel comedy worked better back in the nighties.
Where a film like Elf, also aimed at kids, works where this doesn’t is that whilst you could argue the film presents Ferrell’s character, as learning disabled quite clearly, the film wants you to root for and laugh with Buddy rather than at him. Whereas herein the film wants you to laugh at the central family.
Overall, this is probably best left to the dustbin of history.
0.5/5
Pros.
It is mercifully short
Cons.
It is irritating
It is mean spirited
It wastes a good cast
It assumes kids are dumb
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