Mr. Stink

A 2012 TV-movie aimed at kids boasts a great cast. This is warming feel-good Christmas film that puts the emphasis on family rather than wealth, gain, and possessions. 12-year-old Chloe is an unhappy child, at home her mother has no time for her, putting her energy into right-wing politics instead. Her father is yearning for his old life as a rock guitarist, and meanwhile her sister is a child prodigy who can't do wrong. School is no better as Chloe is being marginalised and bullied by Pippa and her gang of cool kids. One day Chloe strikes up a conversation with a homeless man and his dog; Mr Stink and Duchess. Chloe lets Mr Stink live in the families shed, and as they get closer as friends, she learns about how he started to fall the ladder of life to become who he is. Together they form a friendship which helps Chloe defy all odds and fight to save the dysfunctional family Christmas.

Designed for TV with no lofty ambitions beyond being repeated on lazy Christmas TV schedules, this film is a feel-good film with lots of very stereotypical characters in it. The film is based on a book by David Walliams with additional writing for the film done by Simon Nye. The plot isn't all that original, but it's more so aimed at being harmless and easy. The cast is strong in the film with Nell Tiger Free as Chloe, Hugh Bonneville as Mr Stink, and Johnny Vegas playing Dad, with Sheridan Smith playing Mum. There is also an appearance from the author of the piece, David Walliams, as well as a starring role for Pudsey the performing dog which I think won a TV talent contest in the UK.

This is the first of David Walliams' books that was converted into film. It is inoffensive enough without being ground-breaking. It touches on kids' "fart" humour with Bonneville's character virtually having stink lines emitting of him to go with the cartoon effect fart's and bad breath. In my opinion there are a lot of better feel-good Christmas films for kids - this is a bleached down and polished, safe option, where the creator added what he thought kids would like to see, rather than adding what they want. Unfortunately, Walliams is not Roald Dahl or JK Rowling, the plot is not that original and there are aspects which were not delivered well, and some things that missed the mark completely.

It's a cute little movie about a young girl who invites an intelligent derelict to sleep in the shed in her backyard. In so doing, her eyes are opened to the needs of homeless people everywhere.

It also includes several somewhat silly references to how bad he smells, some poor computer animation displaying his ability to clear rooms with his smell, toss his smell at people he doesn't like, etc. He's like a superhero.

All of that is fine and good, nothing wrong with it. It's entertaining for kids I'm sure.

However, if I DID have any children I wouldn't let them watch this nonsense, because it's a very thinly veiled propaganda video, displaying some particularly shallow political views.

It's clearly very left-wing (or whatever they call it in Britain, I'm from the U.S. so I may have the word wrong), and practices the usual tactic of making the other side (right-wingers) look like silly idiots who just happen to be insensitive to the needs of other people. But Oh! Once our eyes are opened we all want to help the homeless! In reality, such issues are far more complicated and require a bit more thought.

If you don't feel that you can adequately explain political topics to your children, then do them a favor and DON'T let them watch socialized propaganda designed to steer them in whatever political direction is currently deemed most popular.

You have public education for that.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

It was only by chance I caught this TV adaptation of one of the children's books David Walliams wrote, which looked the most appealing out of all of them, as it happens. But I am glad I did, for although it's not the usual kind of thing I would go out my way to watch, for what it was, it was quite well done and it should have great appeal to it's target audience.

The titular Mr. Stink (Hugh Bonneville) is a vagrant who comes to form a close friendship with a young girl named Chloe, who has problems at home and in the social world. As their bond grows, she learns the tragic truth behind Mr. Stink's decline in society and how important friendship is.

For what at first seems quite a silly and childish story (and largely is) it's quite grandiose in it's attempts to be more moving and heart warming as the tale progresses. The young girl who plays Chloe is well put in these aspects, but her plummy accent sounds out of place saying lines like 'he was the stinkiest stinker who ever stunk.' By the end it's become a real tragi-comedy, which the British do best. Of all the performers involved, it's ironically Walliams who actually works the best, as the arrogant, self serving prime minister. Bonneville works very well, too, though, turning the head of a pre-conceived idea about what a homeless person is, which might not be suitable for a family film.

For a TV production, the special effects are above average too, which will make it even more appealing to the young audience it's aimed at. It only caught me by chance and it's not the kind of thing I'd usually watch, but I was pleasantly surprised by it and maybe you'll be too. ****

This was the first David Walliams book adapted for TV and is also available in 3D as well.

Chloe is a young schoolgirl who is a bit of a loner. Her school friends are horrid, her younger sister is more adored by her mother because she is a child prodigy and her mother is running for Parliament as a right wing MP.

Chloe is close to her father (Johnny Vegas) who was once a rock musician. She forms a bond with a vagrant called Mr Stink (Hugh Bonneville) and his faithful dog.

Mr Stink so called because of his foul odour. He is a difficult man to get on with and his decline to living in the the streets is due to tragic circumstances. You feel with his plummy accent and wise words that he once enjoyed better days.

However Mr Stink becomes a media sensation when he ends up gate crashing a live TV interview with Chloe's mother and even the Prime Minister (David Walliams) wants to use him to shore up his declining fortunes.

This is a likable tale that both children and adults will enjoy, it has a moral without laying on the message too thickly. Lookout for the shopkeeper who pops up in other Walliams adaptations.

Over the last few years the BBC have created TV adaptations of the children's books by actor David Walliams.

This was the first and in my opinion the best. It is fast paced, warm hearted and importantly, funny. It also can boast a top notch cast in the major roles.

It's the sort of chocolate family Christmas viewing that has been missing from schedules for years, and you can see based on the success of this one why the BBC have now started repeating the trick with Walliams' other books. With mixed results too I hasten to add.

Well worth a watch if you can get a copy of the DVD.