Mon ami Dodger

I watched this repeatedly as a kid and caught it on the movie channel just recently. I enjoyed it just as much as back then. Yes it's a kids movie that seems to have been forgotten, what a shame! Thora Birch was perfect for the role. She plays a young girl who wants a pet but denied by her mom and step-dad (he's allergic to animal fur), who is played by Christopher McDonald. A face that brings you right back to the 90s for sure. Out of luck, a little monkey finds Eva (Thora Birch) as he has ran away from his abusive owner. She takes him in as her pet but as a secret and names him Dodger, she soon finds Dodger is a lot of work and comes with some some bad behaviour that causes her trouble. If you have kids or are a 90s kid I recommend it. It's fun, lighthearted and feels like summer.

Forget FREE WILLY.

If you're looking for a really decent kids/animal flick that will appeal to young, old, or in-between, look no further than MONKEY TROUBLE. Thora Birch gives a fantastic performance as a little girl who wants a dog and winds up with a monkey escaping from its abusive owner (Harvey Keitel) who has trained the little critter to pick pockets and burglarize houses. The monkey takes an instant liking to the little girl, who names him Dodger, and sneaks him home. Meantime, the drunken gypsy (Keitel) will stop at nothing to get him back. It's an intelligent, well performed family classic that will appeal to just about anyone-even those who don't appreciate movies about kids and killer whales.

Rating: **** out of *****

No, seriously I've seen tons of Family movies, some are heartwarming, some are deep, some shallow but funny, and after watching how many of my favorites Family movies have been re-made I kinda thought ideas are running out and mainly I've seen it all. Every once in a while, however, I stumble upon an old flick that for whatever reason I had skipped in the past and leaves me really impressed. I picked this title because I loved little Thora Birch in "Patriot Games and "Paradise" and I thought let's give it a try, I read also that Harvey Keitel was in it, so I thought maybe there is a good movie that I've missed. Didn't expect much, after all I've seen it all in Family movies, dolphins, gorillas, orcas, mice, parrots, cats, dogs, llamas, so what a monkey could bring in addition to that. Well, when you think you've seen it all, something will stun you, that is this movie, Thora Birch at her best no doubt about it, the monkey is so funny, and script absolutely hilarious, specially about the confusion over framing the adorable protagonist as a common thief, well I'm not gonna give anything up, but give it a try I bet you will enjoy it.

My daughter put "Monkey Trouble" in the VCR and after I heard her laughing her head off I decided to sit down and see what was so funny. What a surprise! It was funny & fun with just the right touch of adventure and pathos to make an excellent family experience.

Thora Birch plays Eva, the little girl who finds a monkey named Dodgers (played by Finster) trained by a drunken gypsy (Harvey Keitel) to steal watches, wallets, earrings, cash and anything else he could get his little fingers on. Eva's step-dad, allergic to animal hair, won't let Eva have a pet. So, when Eva sneaks Dodger into her room she becomes a very responsible little girl indeed, even cleaning up her bedroom and doing her homework. Quite a feat for a ten year old! But Fingers, continues his pick pocketing and theft, hiding the loot in Eva's art box. Finster himself hides under Eva's bed whenever anyone enters her room. So much for the basic plot, within which a child's humor, innocence, emotion, problems of growing up, and adventurous spirit is played.

Thora Birch has a much wider range of expression and sentiment in her acting than the Olsen twins (who we love to watch as a family too). Thora has an all-American look with just a few freckles and reminds me of the "kid next door". The camera catches her perfectly. Especially attractive was the lighting which made her somewhat golden hair into a sort of halo of light. She is very human and a very good actress. Dodger the monkey played a role that perfectly complimented the performance of Eva. My bet is they really loved one another and had a great time on the set together. Is it my imagination or are monkeys and children smarter, more expressive and better actors than most humans?

My daughter laughed and cried throughout the movie and declared it "Great"! It even tickled a demanding old grump like myself who generally would rather do anything but watch a PG rated movie. It made me nostalgic for my own childhood. As a parent I give it a "ten" and highly recommend it for its humor and warmth.

"Monkey Trouble" tells of an organ grinder's (Keitel) pickpocket monkey who abandons his boss and adopts a young girl (Birch) leading to much monkey business. All of the human actors in this corny flick are upstaged by the monkey star whose antics make this predictable family comedy worth watching. Nuff said.