Although director Lena Khan’s adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s Newbery Award-winning children’s novel occasionally retains its message and engagingly snarky tone, the film — available via Disney+ — too frequently succumbs to the property-destroying slapstick that characterized far too many insufferable Disney comedies in the late 1960s and ’70s.
I suspect the book’s fans will not be pleased.
Having discovered that her new pet squirrel has some rather unusual talents, Flora
(Matilda Lawler) is faced with a problem: What does one do with a critter that can fly,
and possesses super-strength?
Brad Copeland’s screenplay takes serious liberties with DiCamillo’s book, particularly with respect to how the young heroine’s mother is portrayed. She has been softened considerably here, and made more amiably flustered and vulnerable: characteristics at which co-star Alyson Hannigan is quite adept.
This, in turn, demands an entirely re-written third act dominated by a new comic-relief villain: a juvenile artistic decision which suggests that Khan and Copeland simply didn’t understand their source material. More’s the pity.
We meet young Flora Belle Buckman (Matilda Lawler) at low ebb: deeply concerned because her parents — George (Ben Schwartz) and Phyllis (Hannigan) — have separated. He’s a frustrated comic book artist depressed by never having been able to sell any of his creations; she’s a successful romance novelist who fails to realize that her current case of writer’s block stems from the absence of her soul mate.
Flora, adept at adapting, has forsaken hope for suspicion and pragmatic sarcasm: She’s a self-proclaimed cynic, and proud of it. Her imagination is shaped by the do-gooding heroes she adores in comic books, while recognizing that there are no heroes — no magic, no miracles — in the real world. Her personal philosophy is shaped by the book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!
(Let it be said, her small town has the world’s coolest comic book shop.)
On an otherwise ordinary day, a somewhat ditzy neighbor’s Ulysses Super-Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X vacuum cleaner bursts from the house, into the yard and — to Flora’s horror — sucks up an unsuspecting squirrel. Not one to shirk from an opportunity for personal heroism, Flora rescues the little critter, reviving it from suffocation by … well, the way one normally helps those who aren’t breathing.
The grateful squirrel refuses to leave Flora’s side, becoming a clandestine pet … and not just any pet. As the next few days pass, Ulysses — as Flora has named him — demonstrates impressive strength, along with the ability of actual flight. Even more amazing, he clearly understands what Flora says, and can “respond” with brief sentences composed while bouncing on the keys of Phyllis’ ancient manual typewriter.
“Holy Bagumba!” the girl exclaims.
Meanwhile, Flora also has made a new — and equally eccentric — human friend: the same neighbor’s nephew, William (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), who suffers from “hysterical blindness,” due to stress. He doesn’t let this condition define him; William charges bravely about, heedless of the fact that he risks life and limb by constantly falling over things.
DiCamillo took this admittedly unlikely scenario in a poignant, emotional instructive direction; Khan and Copeland instead opt for a case of the extreme sillies. This kicks off when Ulysses unintentionally — and totally — destroys a donut-oriented diner. Enter our new villain: tranq gun-wielding Animal Control officer Miller (Danny Pudi), who has a pathological aversion to squirrels.
Cue several sequences of misfired tranq darts striking human targets, with predictable results: a shopworn gag that, in fairness, never fails to be amusing.
Lawler, a thoroughly capable young actress, approaches this premise with total conviction. Her interactions with Ulysses — a CGI construct — are quite persuasive. She also boasts one of cinema’s great half-smiles: actually a cross between a smile and a smirk, giving the impression that she’s always a step ahead of everybody else in the room.
Ainsworth’s William, on the other hand, rarely smiles; he’s a solemn little guy partly concealed behind completely dark glasses, who nonetheless radiates calm and intelligence. And while we grieve for whatever has put so much stress into his life, Ainsworth carefully avoids turning William into an object of pity.
Schwartz makes George an adult who has lost his way: forlorn, confused and with no idea how to fix his life. That aside — and this is important — his love for Flora is all-consuming, and they relate via their shared devotion to comic books.
George lives in an apartment complex patrolled by a nasty cat dubbed Mr. Klaus (also a CGI construct). Anna Deavere Smith has a lovely supporting role as George’s neighbor, Dr. Meescham, who serves as this story’s “voice of wisdom” at key moments.
Pudi’s Miller is a one-dimensional buffoon: about whom, the less said, the better. (In fairness, not the actor’s fault; one must obey what’s written on the page.)
Ulysses is completely captivating, with a remarkable level of personality. His voracious appetite is hilarious, particularly when he stuffs his cheeks with M&Ms and cheese balls.
As the film draws to its conclusion, some of DiCamillo’s life lessons are evident, if subtle. And they’re likely to be overwhelmed by the sense that this is merely a frivolous, calamity-laden comedy: family-friendly entertainment in the moment, certain to be forgotten quickly.
Which is not the case with DiCamillo’s book.
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