Leave It to Beaver (1997)

Cleavers are an all-American family living in Ohio - wise father Ward, loving mother June, teen-age son Wally and 8-year-old "Beaver" Theodore. Beaver hopes to get a bike as a gift from his... See full summary »

Director:

Andy Cadiff

Writers:

Bob Mosher (television series), Joe Connelly (television series),

Stars:

Christopher McDonald, Janine Turner, Cameron Finley

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher McDonald	...	Ward Cleaver
Janine Turner	...	June Cleaver
Cameron Finley	...	Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver
Erik von Detten	...	Wallace 'Wally' Cleaver
Adam Zolotin	...	Edward 'Eddie' Haskell Jr.
Alan Rachins	...	Fred Rutherford
Grace Phillips	...	Miss Landers
Geoff Pierson	...	Football Coach Gordon
Barbara Billingsley	...	Aunt Martha
Ken Osmond	...	Eddie Haskell Sr.
Frank Bank	...	Frank
Erika Christensen	...	Karen
E.J. De La Pena	...	Larry Mondello
Justin Restivo	...	Clarence 'Lumpy' Rutherford
Louis Martin Braga III	...	Gilbert Bates (as Louis Braga)

Storyline

Cleavers are an all-American family living in Ohio - wise father Ward, loving mother June, teen-age son Wally and 8-year-old "Beaver" Theodore. Beaver hopes to get a bike as a gift from his father and to please him tries out for his school football team and he makes it, only to be embarrassed. The bike he gets is quickly stolen. Meanwhile Wally is trying to help his friend Eddie Haskell to get the heart of pretty classmate Karen, but Karen seems to like Wally more, and that leads to tensions between the friends.

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Plot Keywords:

school | football | ohio | football team | birthday | 

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Taglines:

The Beav is back.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and some elements of sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beaver - O Trapalhão

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,252,450 (USA) (22 August 1997)

Gross:

$10,713,605 (USA) (10 October 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Simonds Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Brian Levant, Richard Correll and Tony Dow were turned down as possible directors by the studio, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers declined to appear in cameo roles.

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Goofs

In the Mighty Mites opening game, Beaver is on the kickoff team waving at his dad instead of paying attention when the ball is kicked. But with 38 seconds left in the game, the coach says "Okay, the rules say I gotta play everyone" and he puts in Beaver.

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Quotes

Karen: You're SUCH a nice guy

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Connections

Features Balto (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Lloyd Likes Swimming"
Written by Robert Hackl (as Bob Hackl)
Performed by Flight 19

User Reviews

do you even watch the show?!

I have read a bunch of these other reviews, in which many people seem to strongly dislike the 1997 movie "Leave it to Beaver." Well, I have one question for them: Do you even watch the show?! The 1997 movie combines countless themes and storylines from various episodes of the original series, a technique that is enjoyable and funny. The actors are great, and it is wonderful to see some of the original show's cast making cameos in the film (such as the actors who originally played June Cleaver, Eddie Haskell, and Lumpy). The movie gives a fresh twist to a classic television series, and effectively bridges the gap between generations. This film is enjoyable for younger children and teens who may not have seen the original series, as well as being exciting for parents or other adults who know and love the Cleaver clan from way back in the 50s. This film is a true winner, despite pointless criticisms that it may have received.