Two Words, One Answer.
Leave It to Beaver
 Leave it to Beaver $24.98 This 1997 feature film take on the iconic 1950's television series reimagines the Cleaver family, Ward, June, Wally, and the Beav, in a late '90's setting integrating such things as personal computers and "Home Improvement" episodes into the otherwise still very quaint Mayfield community. The plot is rather uncomplicated and nothing outstanding, bordering on episodic, but held together well enough with continuing issues that both Wally and the Beaver are dealing with throughout. As per Eddie Haskell's suggestion, the Beaver joins the football team to inspire Dad to buy him a bicycle which immediately gets stolen, while Wally enters into a romance with the girl his best-friend Eddie has been crushing on. Classic situations like the giant coffee cup incident are brought into play through the course of the story, while some are just hinted at (like the bad sweater). Overall, this is a pleasing, enjoyable, relaxing film to pop in for something family friendly. However, most of the appeal lies in the nostalgic value for fans of the classic show. It plays fine as a stand-alone family film, but in that respect the film probably seems rather odd and unremarkable. I'm not sure there'd be enough appeal here for those not familiar with the "Leave It To Beaver" characters already, though it probably still could be very entertaining to young children (I mean, the way I've seen kids sit through the awful Little Rascals movie, they should be really impressed by this). Then, of course, there are those many fans who just hate to see their childhood memories remade, especially from TV to big-screen film, but funny how they still choose to sit through the movies for some reason. If you don't have that preexisting prejudice and are an old fan of Wally and the Beav, you should find a good, mellow time to be had here. The film is so well-cast that it has a similar feeling to watching the old show (granted, you can't match the originals), and the modern day setting, toned-down as it is, adds something new to make the film worthwhile. I can't say I'm a fan of storylines involving serious romances or making out between 12-year-olds, I don't think that's realistic or responsible to have in a family film, though I know it is frequently done because some folks think it's "cute" or sells better, but this is a minor quibble, as is my other one. That other quibble is that I don't think Wally's love-interest is meant to come off as a fickle young lady in the end, but in my opinion she still does. The DVD is sadly in full-screen format, but amazingly, it does come with bonus features. You get the theatrical trailer, text bios of the principal cast and director, and production notes that start off seeming like filler, but be sure to read on. You might pick up something new. For example, I was fascinated to learn that "Still the Beaver", the 1980's series that reunited the original cast of "Leave It To Beaver", had a life after its initial Disney Channel run and cancellation. Anyway, while the extras aren't outstanding, it's nice to get any on a DVD that I was expecting to be barebones. At the commonly found prices this movie is currently going for, I happily recommend "Leave It To Beaver" to fans of the original show who aren't dead-set against feature films based on old TV shows.  Leave It to Beaver - The Complete First Season $49.98 I've had bad experiences with Universal Studios dvd's (freezing, double-sided discs, poorly-labelled discs, commercials). Apparently, this dvd set has all those problems, too. Therefore, as much as I would love to have LITB on dvd, I will not purchase this set.  Leave It to Beaver - The Complete Second Season $49.98 I really love the Leave it to Beaver show due to it being based on good family traditions and morals. There is nothing offensive in it so it makes for a good 'christian' type show. I am enjoying watching this DVD, some episodes are better than others, but that's down to personal choice. I'd have no hesitation in recommending this DVD! |
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