![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiLittle Shop of Horrors. 1986. Directed by Frank Oz. Written by Howard Ashman, with music by Alan Menken, based on the original screenplay by Charles B Griffith.
I debated waiting until 3/1 for this one, since Little Shop of Horrors is one of my all-time favorite movies ('song and I even wanted the band to do "Suddenly, Seymour" as our first dance at our wedding, but they didn't have it in their repertoire). But, much as I love this movie, it doesn't seem to be as highly regarded from a "mainstream" point of view as some of the more "serious" classics, which is what I'm going for with my beginning-of-the-month movies. Plus, it really is appropriate for Valentine's Day week.
I can't imagine that any of you haven't seen this. But just in case:
Sometime in the past, a young man by the name of Seymour Krelborn works in a flower shop, hopeless crushing on a nice young co-worker named Audrey. They both work for Mr. Mushnick, a cranky old man who took in the orphaned Seymour when he was a lad, and has raised him as his own. All of them live downtown on Skid Row. Seymour is obsessed with weird plants, and one day, during a total eclipse of theheart sun, he spots an unusual seedling. It's cute but puny, but when Mushnick's business starts failing, they find that the unusual nature of the plant attracts customers.
Better yet, when Seymour accidentally cuts himself and feeds the blood to the plant (now named Audrey 2), the plant thrives! Soon, Audrey 2 is the toast of the town, landing Seymour magazine articles and appearances on radio shows, and bringing tons of money to the business. But, like other creatures that thrive on blood*, Audrey 2's need to feed is simply too strong. Seymour knows that he can't keep giving the plant his own blood, or he'll die. As he bemoans his inability to take care of the plant, we get a startling revelation:
Audrey 2 can talk! And it sounds just like the lead singer of the Four Tops!
But what Audrey 2 has to say doesn't make Seymour happy. Audrey 2 suggests that Seymour will need to start killing people to keep the plant alive. They get into a spirited debate, but the plant -- now big enough to swallow a dismembered human, incidentally -- convinces Seymour by combining an appeal to the latter's desire for fame and fortune, and by noting that some humans don't deserve to live. Case in point: the "real" Audrey's boyfriend, a sadistic, girlfriend-beating dentist.
Seymour (with the help of the dentist's own laughing gas) dispatches the scumbag and feeds the plant, but he feels guilty over what he's done. Winning the love of Audrey (the human one) assuages his guilt somewhat, but when Mr. Mushnick -- who saw Seymour chopping up the body and assumes he's an axe murderer, instead of the much more mundane "guy who feeds dentists to plants" -- threatens him, he stands by while Audrey 2 chomps down on his boss.
Now, with his romantic rival out of the way and the shop in his hands, Seymour is on top of the world, with money, radio appearances, magazine covers, and (of course) the lovely Audrey. But his conscience gets the better of him, and he vows to run away with Audrey. Audrey 2, however, is a jealous houseplant, and using its vegetative wiles, it lures Audrey 1** to the store, makes a clumsy pass at her and eats her. At the last minute, Seymour saves her, and after an epic confrontation in which the hero is battered, de-pantsed***, and crushed, he finally figures out that Audrey 2 has the same weakness as Jaws 2, and electrocutes the sucker.
Obviously, Little Shop of Horrors isn't a great movie because of its plot (which is largely faithful to the original Roger Corman movie). What makes it work is that it's a musical. A damned good one. The folks behind it, in fact, are Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who would go on to give us the songs for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. And the songs here are wonderful. "Skid Row" is one of the great opening numbers on the big screen, up there with "All That Jazz." "Somewhere That's Green" is a wonderful twist on the classic wistful ballad (and was used in possibly the greatest Family Guy moment ever). And "Feed Me" is just hilarious. The walking musical chorus -- three girls named Ronette, Crystal, and Chiffon -- play into most of the songs, and are a nice touch.
Of course, if the songs are great, it's the largely non-musical cast that moves them along, none better than Steve Martin****, who is given the funniest number in the show, "Dentist." A wonderful paean to sadism and cruelty, it's a song that quite probably would lead to some offended group of D.D.S. professionals filing a protest nowadays. Lines like "You'll be a dentist/You have a talent for causing things pain" are sung in an Elvis-like manner while the chorus doo-wops in the background. Martin also navigates the decidedly tricky waters of playing an abusive boyfriend in an comedy.
The other main characters are also played by pros. Few folks pull of "nebbishy" as well as Rick Moranis, and he's as perfectly cast here as he was in Ghostbusters. Vincent Gardenia, as Mushnick, has wonderful chemistry with Moranis, and turns in his usual enthusiastic performance. Ellen Greene, as Audrey, was the only cast member from the original off-Broadway show to appear in the movie, and that's because no one could do what she does with the part. Her baby-doll voice is one-of-a-kind, and it's hard to feel anything but pity for anyone stepping into the role on any stage nowadays. The chorus includes Tisha Campbell (of Martin fame) and Tichina Arnold (so wonderful as the mom on Everybody Hates Chris). Finally, Levi Stubbs does great voicework as Audrey 2.
The supporting cast is also fun. We get Christopher Guest in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it early cameo, but the later parts are juicier. John Candy hams it up as radio host Wink Wilkerson. Bill Murray, as a masochistic dental patient, does a beautiful job of frustrating the sadistic Martin, who can't handle someone who actually enjoys pain. Even Jim Belushi is only mildly annoying in a tiny role.
With Little Shop of Horrors, director Frank Oz finally starts to transition from his Henson days, showing the darker edge that would serve him well in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, In & Out, and Bowfinger*****. Alas, due to the studio relying on (god help us) test audiences, the studio decided that the original ending (which was featured in both the original film and the Off-Broadway musical) was too dark. So instead of seeing Audrey and Seymour get eaten, and Audrey 2 and its offspring take over the world to the tune of the wonderful "Don't Feed the Plants," we get a happy ending in which the good guys win. Color me disappointed, and it's one of the reasons that the movie falls down slightly for me.
That one significant blemish aside, I still consider Little Shop of Horrors to be the great musical horror movie (ahead of Rocky Horror, Meet the Feebles, and not much else). It's a sweet, tender love story that just happens to contain a man-eating plant from outer space. What more could you ask for?
*Vampires, leeches, Dick Cheney, etc.
**It should be noted that Audrey 1 doesn't bring much to the plate in the way of brains.
***If there's one movie character I never need to see in underwear, it's Rick Moranis.
****Yes, I know he sang "King Tut," but he's not exactly Nathan Lane, folks.
*****We don't talk about Stepford Wives here.
I debated waiting until 3/1 for this one, since Little Shop of Horrors is one of my all-time favorite movies ('song and I even wanted the band to do "Suddenly, Seymour" as our first dance at our wedding, but they didn't have it in their repertoire). But, much as I love this movie, it doesn't seem to be as highly regarded from a "mainstream" point of view as some of the more "serious" classics, which is what I'm going for with my beginning-of-the-month movies. Plus, it really is appropriate for Valentine's Day week.
I can't imagine that any of you haven't seen this. But just in case:
Sometime in the past, a young man by the name of Seymour Krelborn works in a flower shop, hopeless crushing on a nice young co-worker named Audrey. They both work for Mr. Mushnick, a cranky old man who took in the orphaned Seymour when he was a lad, and has raised him as his own. All of them live downtown on Skid Row. Seymour is obsessed with weird plants, and one day, during a total eclipse of the
Better yet, when Seymour accidentally cuts himself and feeds the blood to the plant (now named Audrey 2), the plant thrives! Soon, Audrey 2 is the toast of the town, landing Seymour magazine articles and appearances on radio shows, and bringing tons of money to the business. But, like other creatures that thrive on blood*, Audrey 2's need to feed is simply too strong. Seymour knows that he can't keep giving the plant his own blood, or he'll die. As he bemoans his inability to take care of the plant, we get a startling revelation:
Audrey 2 can talk! And it sounds just like the lead singer of the Four Tops!
But what Audrey 2 has to say doesn't make Seymour happy. Audrey 2 suggests that Seymour will need to start killing people to keep the plant alive. They get into a spirited debate, but the plant -- now big enough to swallow a dismembered human, incidentally -- convinces Seymour by combining an appeal to the latter's desire for fame and fortune, and by noting that some humans don't deserve to live. Case in point: the "real" Audrey's boyfriend, a sadistic, girlfriend-beating dentist.
Seymour (with the help of the dentist's own laughing gas) dispatches the scumbag and feeds the plant, but he feels guilty over what he's done. Winning the love of Audrey (the human one) assuages his guilt somewhat, but when Mr. Mushnick -- who saw Seymour chopping up the body and assumes he's an axe murderer, instead of the much more mundane "guy who feeds dentists to plants" -- threatens him, he stands by while Audrey 2 chomps down on his boss.
Now, with his romantic rival out of the way and the shop in his hands, Seymour is on top of the world, with money, radio appearances, magazine covers, and (of course) the lovely Audrey. But his conscience gets the better of him, and he vows to run away with Audrey. Audrey 2, however, is a jealous houseplant, and using its vegetative wiles, it lures Audrey 1** to the store, makes a clumsy pass at her and eats her. At the last minute, Seymour saves her, and after an epic confrontation in which the hero is battered, de-pantsed***, and crushed, he finally figures out that Audrey 2 has the same weakness as Jaws 2, and electrocutes the sucker.
Obviously, Little Shop of Horrors isn't a great movie because of its plot (which is largely faithful to the original Roger Corman movie). What makes it work is that it's a musical. A damned good one. The folks behind it, in fact, are Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who would go on to give us the songs for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. And the songs here are wonderful. "Skid Row" is one of the great opening numbers on the big screen, up there with "All That Jazz." "Somewhere That's Green" is a wonderful twist on the classic wistful ballad (and was used in possibly the greatest Family Guy moment ever). And "Feed Me" is just hilarious. The walking musical chorus -- three girls named Ronette, Crystal, and Chiffon -- play into most of the songs, and are a nice touch.
Of course, if the songs are great, it's the largely non-musical cast that moves them along, none better than Steve Martin****, who is given the funniest number in the show, "Dentist." A wonderful paean to sadism and cruelty, it's a song that quite probably would lead to some offended group of D.D.S. professionals filing a protest nowadays. Lines like "You'll be a dentist/You have a talent for causing things pain" are sung in an Elvis-like manner while the chorus doo-wops in the background. Martin also navigates the decidedly tricky waters of playing an abusive boyfriend in an comedy.
The other main characters are also played by pros. Few folks pull of "nebbishy" as well as Rick Moranis, and he's as perfectly cast here as he was in Ghostbusters. Vincent Gardenia, as Mushnick, has wonderful chemistry with Moranis, and turns in his usual enthusiastic performance. Ellen Greene, as Audrey, was the only cast member from the original off-Broadway show to appear in the movie, and that's because no one could do what she does with the part. Her baby-doll voice is one-of-a-kind, and it's hard to feel anything but pity for anyone stepping into the role on any stage nowadays. The chorus includes Tisha Campbell (of Martin fame) and Tichina Arnold (so wonderful as the mom on Everybody Hates Chris). Finally, Levi Stubbs does great voicework as Audrey 2.
The supporting cast is also fun. We get Christopher Guest in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it early cameo, but the later parts are juicier. John Candy hams it up as radio host Wink Wilkerson. Bill Murray, as a masochistic dental patient, does a beautiful job of frustrating the sadistic Martin, who can't handle someone who actually enjoys pain. Even Jim Belushi is only mildly annoying in a tiny role.
With Little Shop of Horrors, director Frank Oz finally starts to transition from his Henson days, showing the darker edge that would serve him well in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, In & Out, and Bowfinger*****. Alas, due to the studio relying on (god help us) test audiences, the studio decided that the original ending (which was featured in both the original film and the Off-Broadway musical) was too dark. So instead of seeing Audrey and Seymour get eaten, and Audrey 2 and its offspring take over the world to the tune of the wonderful "Don't Feed the Plants," we get a happy ending in which the good guys win. Color me disappointed, and it's one of the reasons that the movie falls down slightly for me.
That one significant blemish aside, I still consider Little Shop of Horrors to be the great musical horror movie (ahead of Rocky Horror, Meet the Feebles, and not much else). It's a sweet, tender love story that just happens to contain a man-eating plant from outer space. What more could you ask for?
*Vampires, leeches, Dick Cheney, etc.
**It should be noted that Audrey 1 doesn't bring much to the plate in the way of brains.
***If there's one movie character I never need to see in underwear, it's Rick Moranis.
****Yes, I know he sang "King Tut," but he's not exactly Nathan Lane, folks.
*****We don't talk about Stepford Wives here.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:15 am (UTC)I'd seen it on stage long before I saw the movie, anyway.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:28 am (UTC)Alas, I only have the not-out-of-print DVD. Although I don't grade on special features unless the scenes are intergrated into the movie, anyway.
I have the original issue DVD
Date: 2007-02-16 05:53 am (UTC)The extra footage is very much worth seeing if you are a fan of the stage musical.
Bonus points in the film to references Mrs. Shiva a character from the original Black & White. (And I never got the joke until typing it just now.)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 04:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:45 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:21 am (UTC)Then again, I love the rest of it so much, I'd probably love the original ending, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:39 am (UTC)Any intention of reviewing the Roger Corman? That's the version I first saw -- my parents got it on VHS, and I wasn't even aware of the musical until later.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 03:56 am (UTC)Both the Broadway and Film version are just excellence.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 04:05 am (UTC)http://www.jenniferleighwarren.com
As a kid I actually saw Little Shop of Horrors first-run on Broadway. Hell, if I told you the amount of shows I saw first-run on Broadway you'd be like "Jesus man"
Sometimes I've also wondered what the movie would've been like if it starred Lee Wilkoff. I mean at this point? I think his career is doing better than Moranis'.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 04:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 04:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 06:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 11:54 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 12:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 04:05 pm (UTC)I'll certainly agree that it's better than Rocky Horror, but Phantom of the Paradise easily gives it a run for its money.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 05:27 pm (UTC)What about The Happiness of the Katakuris (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304262/)? I'd think that'd at least make it in the running...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-16 10:33 pm (UTC)