REVIEW

Fun Size

Albert (Jackson Nicoll) is his sister’s burden in Fun Size, a teen comedy from Nickelodeon.
Albert (Jackson Nicoll) is his sister’s burden in Fun Size, a teen comedy from Nickelodeon.

— Fun Size

73 Cast: Victoria Justice, Chelsea Handler, Jane Levy, Jackson Nicoll, Thomas Mann, Osric Chau, Ana Gasteyer, Kerri Kenney, Riki Lindhome Director: Josh Schwartz Rating: PG-13, for crude suggestive material, partying and language Running time: 90 minutes

“Fun Size” is a term candy makers use for smaller portions. When packets are labeled “Fun Size” instead of “Small” or “Cheap,” kids who get these high-fructose delights don’t feel cheated because the people who gave out these treats didn’t splurge enough to put the recipient into a sugar coma.

Like the candy, Fun Size is short and occasionally sweet, but not all that fun. It’s a comedy set during Halloween in Cleveland, and it can’t decide whether it’s aimed at children or rowdy teens. Bawdy comic Chelsea Handler plays a single mom, but with a PG-13 rating, there’s only so much she can do. Conversely, the innuendo that runs throughout the film is certainly not for tots, despite the Nickelodeon label.

Either way, the film is only fitfully funny.

Victoria Justice stars as Wren, a high schooler who wants to leave the “Mistake by the Lake” for New York University, but her preoccupied mother (Handler) keeps forgetting to sign the admissions paperwork. She also has a mischievous little brother named Albert (Jackson Nicoll), who never talks but lives to make her life miserable.

Wren wants to spend Oct. 31 with her pal April (Jane Levy) at a well-attended party hosted by the dreamy Aaron Riley (Thomas McDonell). Mom, however, wants to go to a party of her own, so Wren is stuck accompanying the unpredictable Albert as he trickor-treats. This means the lad ingeniously steals the sweets of others. Because of Albert’s impulsive nature, it’s ironically not surprising that Wren inadvertently loses track of him.

In their quest to be reunited, Wren and Albert run into a variety of odd characters, including a strait-laced guy (Thomas Mann) who shares Wren’s nerdy tendency and a lad (Osric Chau) who dresses like Aaron Burr and even packs a scary-looking musket. There’s also a convenience store clerk (Thomas Middleditch) who looks up to Albert and wants to take him along as he tries to win back his lost love.

What could possibly go wrong?

The problem is that many of these folks are types instead of characters, so they cease to be interesting after a few minutes. On the plus side, Saturday Night Live veteran Ana Gasteyer and Kerri Kenney are a riot as a New Age lesbian couple who take their weaving just a little too seriously. Riki Lindhome of the comedy vocal duo Garfunkel and Oates has a couple of moments as a manga-loving partier, but it would have been funnier to hear her and her partner, Kate Micucci, sing one their self-penned tunes.

At least Lindhome and Micucci know who their intended audience is. The folks behind Fun Size must have thought the sight of a mechanical chicken getting frisky with a car would bring parents and their offspring together.

I’m not sure I’d want to attend such a gathering.

MovieStyle, Pages 35 on 10/26/2012

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