Bite-size humour

Cue opening credits … ’A Nickelodeon Production’. Most would have probably squirmed at the thought of sitting through a movie produced by a family network, but for a fan of amiable teen comedy, I knew I was in for a treat.

Don’t get me wrong, the movie was as it is rated, for those aged 13, and completely predictable with semi-recognisable faces, but it’s that expectedness and silliness that made it an enjoyable, mindless 89 minutes.

In an attempt to dirty up the image of the children’s network, director Schwartz, known for Gossip Girl, treads on familiar territory and uninterestedly shoots random events, stirs it with a love story, adds stereotypical high school clichés and lastly, sets it during America’s favourite time of year, Halloween.

Set in Cleveland, the story follows Wren (Justice), a teenager who recently lost her father and has to deal with her dysfunctional family on her own.

When she accidentally bumps into her crush, Aaron Riley, on the way to school he invites her to attend his famed Halloween party, the shin-dig of the year.

However, when mum Joy (Handler) decides to take off for a bash of her own with her new toy-boy, 27-year-old Keevin, on the same night as the party, Wren’s plans are hijacked leaving her in charge of her eccentric, delinquent younger brother Albert (Nicoll).

So, instead of spending the night with the cool kids in town and upping their social status, Wren and her best friend April (Jane Levy) go trick-or-treating with the younger children, setting out to be the true ‘dorks’ of the school.

However, when the duo, accompanied by Wren’s younger brother, head into a haunted house, things start to take a turn for the worst. Albert sneaks away from the girls and is nowhere to be found.

Frightened of just what might happen to him, and her mother’s reaction to the situation, Wren enlists the help of two unpopular nerds, Roosevelt (Thomas Mann) and Peng (Osric Chao) to find him. The group set out on a series of misadventures involving fireworks and faeces, destruction of vehicles, muskets and a showdown with a guy dressed like the Hulk.

The plot is completely disposable but still provided a bizarrely-coloured and light-hearted movie. However, a number of scenes made the movie not suitable for younger children with underage drinking and mature content, as well as not wild or funny enough for the Gossip Girl market, making the target audience a little hazy, with viewers left wanting more of the jokes with better punchlines.

Justice took control in playing the lead, and although she emitted energy throughout and seemed to actually show concern for the little boy, she was still unable to crack the comedic style needed.

And, unfortunately, the same can be said about Levy. Lucky for them both, when Mann and Chau are introduced and cross paths with the two, humour, with well-placed rapper Lil Wayne stabs, allowed the audience to finally laugh along.

Throughout the film, surprisingly elaborate gags playing off the social anxiety of the average teen added the true moments. When the kids find themselves in a battered old car cruising along The Strip, where the popular cool kids hang out, their busted radio blasts the described ‘uncool’ song You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban. April quickly shrieks before it hits the emotional high of the song, ‘Oh no! Here comes the uplifting chorus!’ as passers-by shake their head in disapproval.

However, the real fun is with Albert and his sidekick, the convenient store clerk named Fuzzy. When Albert goes wandering, he meets Fuzzy and the two endeavour on a list of adventures.

Nicoll may be a 10-year-old actor who hadn’t spoken a word in the film, but the chubby, candy-loving kid left the audience in tears of laughter with his absurd scenes and booby traps. Albert spends almost the entire movie in a one-armed Spiderman costume with most of his jokes not delivering the required reaction from the audience but his mischievous smile made it all worthwhile.

Fun Size provides the beautiful colours of Halloween, has a great soundtrack and delivers the amusement it promises … however, the story is disjointed with clichéd humour that fell completely flat … yet the movie still provides a bite-size portion of fun.