Monkey Trouble (1994)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Franco Amurri

Writers (WGA):

Franco Amurri (written by) &
Stu Krieger (written by)

Release Date:

18 March 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

Eva's new friend has big eyes, hairy feet, and very sticky fingers.

Plot:

A young girl's life turns hairy when her new pet monkey turns out to be a trained pickpocket on the run from a scheming gypsy.

Plot Keywords:

Monkey | Animal | Monkey Actor | Independent Film | Based On Novel

Cast

Finster	...	Dodger
Thora Birch	...	Eva
Harvey Keitel	...	Azro
Mimi Rogers	...	Amy
Christopher McDonald	...	Tom
Adrian Johnson	...	Jack
Julian Johnson	...	Jack
Kevin Scannell	...	Peter
Alison Elliott	...	Tessa
Robert Miranda	...	Drake
Victor Argo	...	Charlie
Remy Ryan Hernandez	...	Katie (as Remy Ryan)
Adam LaVorgna	...	Mark
Jo Champa	...	Annie
John Lafayette	...	Cates

Also Known As:

Pet

MPAA:

Rated PG for a moment of menace.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #32595) | Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:U | USA:PG | Australia:G | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Effe Productions

Trivia:

Director Franco Amurri was inspired to make the film because of the constant pleading of his young daughter for a pet.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the monkey decides to run away form the gypsy he is wearing a black diaper. In the following outdoor shots the diaper is missing

Quotes:

Eva: EW! I am so not letting you eat lizards! From now on you are on a strict "no-yuck" diet.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

WHO GETS DA LOOT

What a Surprise!

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.