I had a squirrel named Numb Nuts.

Man of the House

Unpopular opinion alert---I didn't have a crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas in the 90s. I know I know it's sacrilege. However, I did like this movie as a kid and always watched it if I found it on TV.

Watching it again though, oh good lawd have mercy it's so bad. Jonathan Taylor Thomas's Ben is the worst. Literally the worst. How many chances at happiness has he sabotaged for his poor mother? Why didn't his mom put him into therapy after his dad left? It's clearly affected him for years and emotionally scarred him. The mobsters are stereotypical Italian thugs in…wait a second, in Seattle? Seattle had a lot of illegal activity during Prohibition (thanks PBS), but is the Italian mob huge there?

The biggest thing that bothers me about this movie is the cultural appropriation. According to the Oxford Reference, it defines cultural appropriation as being "used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance." I understand that there was a Native American who helped them do a rain dance, but the whole thing is just uncomfortable. Was there a copyright issue that they couldn't use the Boy Scouts? Native American cultures aren't "lame" and aren't to be used by emotionally stunted white mommy's boys to get rid of mommy's boyfriends. Ugh.

Plot in a Nutshell: Ben and his mom live in the coolest loft ever and have a perfect life. That is until his mom wants to actually move on with her life and find love. Selfish Ben can't have that and tries to get rid of his mom's latest boyfriend Jack by joining the most uncool group ever---Indian Guides. While all this is going on, the mob is trying to kill Jack. Hijinks ensue at an annual camping trip, they Home Alone their campsite, the mobsters get arrested, and everyone lives happily ever after.

WTF: Why are Farrah Fawcett and Chevy Chase in this movie? They couldn't have needed the money, could they?

Fun Facts are Fun: This steaming pile of crap grossed over $40 million dollars domestically.

The Verdict: *bashes head against the wall*

Join me next for the blog's first Don Bluth feature---Rock-a-Doodle.