Curly Sue (1991)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

John Hughes

Writer (WGA):

John Hughes (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

Tagline:

Big laughs come in small packages.

Plot:

Bill Dancer and his young companion Curly Sue are the classic homeless folks with hearts of gold. Their scams are aimed not at turning a profit...

Plot Keywords:

Street Life | Homelessness | Child's Point Of View | Rags To Riches | Family Relationships

Awards:

1 win

Cast

James Belushi	...	Bill Dancer
Kelly Lynch	...	Grey Ellison
Alisan Porter	...	Curly Sue
John Getz	...	Walker McCormick
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	Bernard Oxbar
Cameron Thor	...	Maitre d'
Branscombe Richmond	...	Albert
Steve Carell	...	Tesio (as Steven Carell)
Gail Boggs	...	Anise Hall
Burke Byrnes	...	Dr. Maxwell
Viveka Davis	...	Trina
Barbara Tarbuck	...	Mrs. Arnold
Edie McClurg	...	Secretary
Charles Adams	...	Prison Guard
James W. Boinski	...	Pawnbroker

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Hughes Entertainment

Trivia:

The final film directed by John Hughes.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sue is trying on her new wardrobe for Grey and her secretary. Grey notices that she's still wearing her cruddy shoes. Sue holds up the fancy shoes and asks "you mean these." She then begins to crawl on the floor and scratch herself. They cut to Grey. They then cut back to Sue, who's now wearing the fancy shoes.

Quotes:

Mrs. Arnold: Are you all right? You seem a little... nice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Murder?... Anyone?... Anyone?... Bueller? (#3.2)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

You Never Know

Sweet story about an orphan's quest for love and stability

Writer/Director John Hughes covered all bases (as usual) with this bitter-sweet "Sunday Afternoon" family movie. "Curly Sue" is a sweet, precocious orphan, cared for from infancy by "Bill". The pair live off their wits as they travel the great US of A. Fate matches them with a "very pretty" yuppie lawyer, and the rest is predictable.

Kids will love this film, as they can relate to the heroine, played by 9 year old Alisan Poter (who went on to be the "you go girl!" of Pepsi commercials). The character is supposed to be about 6 or 7, as she is urged to think about going to school. Some of her vocabulary suggests that she is every day of 9 or older.

Similar to "Home Alone", there is plenty of slap-stick and little fists punching big fat chins. Again, this is "formula" film making, aimed at a young audience. Entertaining and heartwarming. Don't look for any surprises, but be prepared to shed a tear or two.