Life-Size (2000)

A widower's daughter accidentally brings her doll to life while trying to cast a spell to resurrect her mother.

Director:

Mark Rosman

Writers:

Mark Rosman (teleplay), Stephanie Moore (teleplay),

Stars:

Lindsay Lohan, Jere Burns, Anne Marie DeLuise

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lindsay Lohan	...	Casey Stuart
Jere Burns	...	Ben Stuart
Anne Marie DeLuise	...	Drew McDonald (as Ann Marie Loder)
Garwin Sanford	...	Richie
Tom Butler	...	Phil
Tyra Banks	...	Eve
Jillian Fargey	...	Ellen
Dee Jay Jackson	...	Coach
Corrine Koslo	...	Toy Store Owner
Alf Humphreys	...	Bookstore Owner (as Alfred E. Humphreys)
Kerry Sandomirsky	...	Ms. Weiner (as Kerry Sandomirksy)
Sam MacMillan	...	Sam
Katelyn Wallace	...	Sarah
Shaina Tianne Unger	...	Jessica
Jessica Lee Owens	...	Shannon

Storyline

A widower's daughter accidentally brings her doll to life while trying to cast a spell to resurrect her mother.

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Plot Keywords:

doll | widower | spell | physical appearance | wish | 

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Taglines:

She was a perfect doll. Now she's the real thing.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sport

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grandeur nature

Filming Locations:

4376 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pacific Motion Pictures Corporation, Walt Disney Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as presented in Dolby Surround Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, the toy store is named Kaboodles. They didn't change the name of the store for this movie; they really did film at a toy store named Kaboodles, near Point Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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Goofs

Sunnyvale is an actual city in Silicon Valley and not made up as they keep saying.

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Quotes

Eve: Ben, did you see that big lady dancing? This is a night I'll never forget!
Ben Stuart: Neither will anyone else. I wonder who's asleep, Casey or the babysitter.

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Soundtracks

"Keep Me Away"
Performed by Nobody's Angel

User Reviews

Not just for little girls.

The idea of a mom or girlfriend brought to life from an inanimate object is not a new one and has been used as a plot device in film and TV for years. We've seen the story before in "Mannequin," and Disney's "A Mom for Christmas." In the later film we see a department store mannequin who is brought to life by a widower's daughter. In this film, it's a fashion doll. These films feature drop dead beauties in the lead role wearing fun, colorful outfits. Not exactly great actresses, but with enough charisma to make the role work in a cute type of way. "Life-Size" features Lindsay Lohan (the cute little red-head from "The Parent Trap") as the young girl and Jere Burns ("Dear John") as her father. Both are very good actors and their performances and chemistry are so good that casting them in the same roles for a TV sitcom might not be a bad idea. Jere Burns subtle and gentle performance is better than his usual roles where he snaps one-liners. The script and direction of this film are also very good, not settling on obvious jokes and letting the characters time to adjust to situations. While the idea of a perfect mom being a dumb witted doll might seem old-fashioned, we also see dad working along side career women, and his daughter is involved in co-ed football (as quarter back no less). Also of note are the fashion costumes that were inspired by actual fashion doll clothes and accessories. This is a film that spends as much time with the adults as it does with the child which places it in a different orbit than most Disney films. Supermodel Tyra Banks plays Eve, the fashion doll, and with her hair up in a bun, pearls around her neck, perfect tall poise, perfect long legs, and incredible good looks, certainly is a fashion doll. Despite interesting and comedic situations, her character is boring and certainly no fantasy for a young girl. She is a man's fantasy and more specifically the father's fantasy. We watch him slowly fall in love with her mystique as much as her looks. Not surprisingly, Tyra Banks looks great in every scene (if Tyra Banks is not the most beautiful woman in the world, she certainly comes close). Surprisingly she has a gift for comedic pantomime (watching her try to keep up with the real world work office and home kitchen without breaking a sweat was a treat). Scenes that require her to mimic the looks of a Barbie doll namely the plastic smile, the vogue poses (she points both her hands up to the side after typing gibberish on a computer at work), the way she gets used to her legs and arms being able to move ("my ankles bend!"), are very good, perhaps because Tyra Banks is experienced at modeling, and to be honest, what supermodel does not have a plastic smile and vogue poses? There might have been some inside joke going on by casting a supermodel without the supermodel herself knowing it. Later in the film there is a sweet scene between Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan as Tyra puts Lindsay to bed. The director's pacing seemed to relax Tyra a bit, and her lines spoken in whisper were not bad. I wouldn't mind watching Tyra Banks learning her craft in a series spin-off or sequel of "Life-Size." She makes a great mom and wife to this family and as she learns to be human she might loosen up some more.