Les aventuriers du timbre perdu

This family adventure movie, produced in Canada, was released when I was two years old, before any of my earliest memories (I think). I obviously didn't see it when it was brand new, but remember seeing a lot of it several times in the 90's. However, I don't recall ever watching it right to the end in my childhood, as I could never remember how it ended. At 23 years old, I've finally gotten around to seeing "Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller", the whole film, from start to finish, after not seeing any part of it for maybe around fifteen years. This probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't remembered it from my childhood. I thought much of the movie was reasonable, thanks to the humour, but eventually, it got a little tiring.

Ralph James and his con artist friend, Tommy Tricker, are both elementary school kids who collect stamps. Tommy likes to use stamps as a way to swindle his peers, and even does this at school, until Albert, the leader of the stamp club, stops him. Unfortunately, when Tommy comes over to Ralph's house one day, Ralph becomes another one of his victims. Tommy tricks him into trading one of his dad's rare stamps, and Ralph doesn't realize he's been tricked until the young schemer is on his way, and it's too late! Ralph knows he will be in trouble when his dad finds out, and his sister, Nancy, decides to help him try and get it back or find a replacement. After failed attempts, the siblings discover how to magically shrink and travel inside a stamp, and Ralph decides to do just that, in a search to find Charles Merriweather, a stamp traveler who has been missing for 75 years!

This movie is not billed as a comedy, but I probably wouldn't be able to give it an above average rating if it weren't for the times I laughed. I think many people would agree that the film clearly has more for kids than adults, with a storyline that could easily bore adults. I can't forget such comedic highlights as the way Albert tells Tommy to stop swindling other students with stamps, Ralph locking himself up while his dad tries to get him to come out, and the chase through the mall (featuring an early appearance from Rufus Wainwright, years before his music career took off). I did not care much for Tommy as a character, with some of the things he does, such as the prank he pulls on Albert early in the film. Mind you, even that character can be funny at times. Unfortunately, in the end, the humour is not consistent enough to carry the film, and to me, the film seemed a little overlong. If it were shorter, I might be able to rate it 7/10, instead of 6, but as it is, I can't say I highly recommend it for adults.

You can usually pick out the work of Rock Demers/Michael Rubbo and the French-Canadian Disney of the North (I meant that in a complimentary way). First, there are no loud, screaming car-chases or machine guns; next, the pace is slow, and the audience has to think along with the cast; third, the kids treat the adults and each other with politeness and respect.....what a novel thought!!! Probably his best effort, 6/10+.

This was THE movie of my youth, yet none of my childhood friends have heard of it, let alone seen it. I suppose this Canadian production was released straight to video in Australia though, so probably no wonder.

The story revolves around Ralph, an avid stamp collector, and his sister Nancy, who stumble across a mysterious collection that reveals a secret method of traveling across the world on a stamp. Yes, that's right. The traveller repeats a certain chant then shrinks to a hundredth of his or her size, then literally falls into the stamp.

Ralph decides to journey to Australia in hopes of uncovering a missing stamp collection for his dad, but after a series of misadventures, is misdirected to China by the local prankster, Tommy Tricker, who wants to find the expensive collection himself. The rest of the movie relates Ralph's stay in China, and the confrontation between he and Tommy in Australia.

This is a really enjoyable film. I know it's meant for elderly children, but I think anyone below 24 would be pleasantly surprised.

Tommy Tricker reminds a bit of a more abrasive Joey Jeremiah from Degrassi High!

I always enjoy watching this movie again and again, although I'm in my thirties: To my mind, "Tommy Tricker" always manages to bring back to me nice memories of my youth (what might be true for other adults as well). I even recall the first time I watched it: it was the Summer of 1991 (probably the first time "Tommy Tricker" was aired on an Italian television, but I may be wrong). I remember I felt that every character was so sympathetic and easy to agree with, that I immediately loved the movie. In fact, at that age (more or less 15), I was a little awkward in the same way as Ralph was, and I would have liked to have been more self-confident like Tommy (incidentally, Lucas Evans and Anthony Rogers act great, with just minor flaws, which - in my opinion – contribute to render the movie even more realistic). Moreover, I must admit it's always a pleasure to hear different English accents (mainly Canadian and Australian) as is possible in this movie: being a non-native speaker of English I always appreciate it when I can "feel" these differences, which are easy to catch, since, in this case, the linguistic level is not that difficult. To sum up: congratulations to the director and... too bad that the young actors didn't go on acting (at least, to the best of my knowledge).

I have a few vague memories of watching this on cable years and years ago, laughing at it with my brothers and sister the first time through, then, later, grudgingly admitting that I'd enjoyed it. I can recall only bits and pieces of the actual film, though: some of the characters shrinking themselves onto stamps (was there a dance or a chant involved?), a chase through a bus station (or was it an airport?), and, finally, a scene with a dragon kite in China. I always meant to catch the sequel, but, alas, I kept missing it. The original, anyway, was very imaginative, very fun, and I would love to see it put out on DVD - or at least show up on cable again.