Au secours, papa divorce

I never know with movies such as this whether or not I should waste away precious minutes of my life going into every single thing that is horribly wrong with it. It's preferable taking the shorter route and just warning the potential viewer to stay away at all costs. Hmm...what to do.

You know when a video box stoops to comparing itself to "Home Alone" and "The Parent Trap" that it's desperate for attention. This ill-conceived film is about a couple of kids who think that their parents might be headed for divorce. The unnecessarily convoluted plot mechanics have the father going to Chicago for a business trip, the mother sneaking off to Chicago as well in order to surprise him for their anniversary and the kids traveling by themselves to try and stop their parents from getting divorced. To be honest, I think that by the time the late '90s rolled around the whole "kids stopping parents from breaking up" routine was well past its expiration date.

This hybrid TV movie/kiddie video has a distinct low-rent amateur feel to it. It's as if the makers said, "Well, this is a Judge Reinhold comedy after all so it doesn't matter how dumb and sloppy it is!" The kids have no problems using a stolen place ticket at the airport. Speaking of the airport, they go to the Abraham Lincoln Airport in Springfield, IL and board a HUGE airplane. You know, the kind with seats on the left, several in the middle, and more on the right. Come on! This pre-9/11 flick has a scene where the father is casually questioned after what appears to be a firearm is found in his bag (planted there by his son). On the ridiculously phony "plane" the doors on the bathrooms open the wrong direction and evidently anybody who feels like it can push around those snack & drink carts. All this nonsense and the film hasn't even gotten rolling yet!

Long story short, there are coincidences galore in Chicago. You know, it's just soooo easy to keep bumping into the same two or three people in such a tiny city, isn't it? The filmmakers also take the opportunity to mock Chinese people and gays in the process. "Coming Unglued" perfectly describes Judge Reinhold's career. How it has lasted into the 21st century is beyond me. Joely Fisher also co-stars and comes off looking alright as long as this isn't your first time viewing her acting. I can't wrap this up without mentioning the music. If you took annoying circus music and stuck it in a blender with saccharine kiddie comedy music then what you would get is the soundtrack to this film. Unbearable! 1/10

Paul (Judge Reinhold) is a school administrator who has been offered a job in Chicago. His wife Laura (Joely Fisher) is a physician, so moving to another city would be more difficult for her. When their son accidentally overhears an argumentative conversation between his parents, he convinces his older sister that their parents are about to go through the Big D (divorce). So, a road trip to Chicago begins for all four family members, under various circumstances. Dad is interviewing for the job, Mother is planning a secret celebration, and the children are out to keep their parents together. In Chicago, a comedy of errors is about to begin. What will the final result be? This film, slight as it is, is still fun for families on a Saturday night together. There is a lot of physical humor, Chicago scenery, and nice performances by the child actors. Reinhold is deft at comedic expressions while Fisher adds a nice touch, although there is not enough screen time for her. Good clean fun is so rare these days. Grab this one soon....it has some good moments.