Un neveu studieux

Merlin Jones and Jennifer are back, in the sequel to The Misadventures of Merlin Jones. This time around, Merlin, after fighting for Stanley the monkey's (actually a chimp) rights, he is seeking custody, making him the "monkey's uncle." Judge Holmsby returns as well.

Meanwhile, the college is in need of funding to stay alive. The board of regents, to which Judge Holmsby sits, has asked former alumni for help, to no avail. Until a cantankerous crackpot, much like Merlin Jones himself appears, and makes a ridiculous offer. Cue the hilarity.

The man's name, Darius Green III, his offer, funding. The only problem, he will only pay if someone can fly like a bird! Sounds like an unattainable task, but a challenge for Merlin Jones.

Remember, always check references. You never know who Darius Green III really could be!

Cute Disney film - the title sequence with Annette Funicello and the Beach Boys (who seemed to me to be on the verge of cracking up laughing the whole time) is worthwhile in and of itself. Check out Dennis Wilson's "Funky Monkey" dance since he's not singing.

Anyway, this is a breed of film I wish they still made - goofy but not really stupid, a cute teenager comedy with a little innocent flirtation here and there, some very pre-PC dialogue, and a monkey who disappears from middle 3/4 of the movie. Some continuity problems, but hey, if you're looking for great cinema you shouldn't be looking at a film called "The Monkey's Uncle".

If you're into chimp films (and if so, I really don't want to hear about it) and you rented this one expecting to see a lot of monkey, you will be frustrated. On the other hand, if you think Annette Funicello was hot, this is your kinda flick. "Lost In Space" fans will also enjoy seeing Mark Goddard as the BMOC.

Otherwise, it's a cute little film to watch with young kids or by yourself when you're busting out code at home at 3 AM and it's either "The Monkey's Uncle" or an infomercial.

'The Monkey's Uncle' is the sequel to 'The Misadventures of Merlin Jones'. I have not yet re-watched this classic Disney comedy. Have I ever seen it? 'The Monkey's Uncle' is only available on VHS. The only place you can rent VHS nowadays is at the local library. If you're persistent enough you can find many VHS only movies at the local library. The first film is available on DVD and on Netflix but I couldn't find it at my local library and I don't yet have Netflix. So I watched the 2nd one first.

It's a very good and decent OK film. There is nothing outstandingly funny and memorable but there is nothing outstandingly bad worth mentioning either. The monkey in the title does play a central role in the movie but not as central as the title may suggest.

After opening up with the Annette Funicello (who just goes by Annette in the credits) and the Beach Boys, the film centers on Genius boy Merlin Jones. After becoming the Monkey's Uncle in a court hearing he then uses the chimp for scientific experiments. He plays records while the chimp is sleeping and when he wakes up, he thus is able to do what was instructed to him while he slept. Merlin uses this method for some football players to learn English while they sleep so they can pass the big English Test. It is an honest way to cheat.

The 2nd half of the film focuses on Merlin trying to invent a man-made flying machine. If he does his school will get a generous donation from some guy for 10 million dollars. Through the picture is a rivalry between two members of the college faculty which figures very significantly into both plots. One wants to abolish football because he was once rejected from the team and the other wants to keep it, thus relying on Merlin to always save the day.

There are some funny moments and gags. The ending is actually very good compared to the whole movie. It raises the film up a notch. It's an amusing film. Not worth avoiding and worth seeing if you're a Disney enthusiast. It's not on VHS (I think). Is it worth being on DVD? Well there are other Disney films that aren't great that are on DVD and for the sake of completion perhaps it should be. Put Merlin on the job to figure out how.

Robert Stevenson directed quite a few great Disney movies but "The Monkey's Uncle" isn't one of them. It's an okay watch, at best. The human cast is good. They all turn in nice performances. The monkey, however, isn't so hot. All of his scenes are pretty dumb. The nice cast is let down by a weak script. There is very little plot and very few real laughs. "The Monkey's Uncle" is an okay time killer if you're in the mood for a "vintage" Disney life action movie.

Several of the cast members of The Misadventures Of Merlin Jones made the return trip for the sequel The Monkey's Uncle. The critics including me panned this one too, but it did well at the box office. But the trip back was bittersweet for Tommy Kirk.

It was while that first film was being made that Walt Disney discovered that his teen star Tommy Kirk was gay and terminated him forthwith. But the film made money for the Magic Kingdom and Kirk came back to do this sequel. It must have been one strained set and I'm sure Kirk who wasn't getting job offers piling up needed the money. You have to hand it to Walt Disney for chutzpah.

This one was equally as bad as the first. First Kirk as the science genius devises a sleep study program so that the football team can pass their exams to be eligible. For the second half of the film he's given a challenge by Leon Ames of the board of trustees to develop a method of man made flight under manpower, no motors or airships.

It's do or die for Tommy because another member of the board of trustees of Midvale College, Frank Faylen has got a check in hand for a million dollars if they ban football. Kirk has school spirit and he's the only one smart enough to take on the task.

He's also got the help of Annette Funicello and there's a rival to her in Cheryl Miller of Daktari who babysits Stanley the Chimpanzee for Kirk.

If this all sounds ridiculous that ain't the half of it. All this plot comes about because Kirk and Annette want to adopt Stanley because Kirk is convinced he can get a college education. The chimp that is.

The best part of the film is the beginning when Annette sings the title song accompanied by The Beach Boys. I'm sure Disney would have kept Kirk around if a third film was in the offing. Poor Tommy Kirk one of the saddest stories about gay actors ever from Tinseltown.