Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish from 199 is some straight-to-video kiddie tomfoolery that really makes you appreciate Macauley Culkin. This is another sequel in which nobody involved in the original film could be tempted to return, so in place of Culkin as the ‘richest boy in the world’, we have little David Gallagher. It’s a tricky proposition making a film about a multi-billionaire but working on a limited budget, so the effect is a film that looks cheap in contrast to the 1994 original but, to be fair, still looks pretty flashy compared to any number of DTV efforts.
This one packs in a lot of mad, imaginative ideas. This time around, 12-year-old Richie is so filthy well-off that he has his own personal inventor named Professor Keanbean, played by Eugene Levy. This won’t be the highlight of the Schitt’s Creek star’s - or anyone’s - CV, but Levy seems to realise this, going full-on mad, eccentric scientist. I’ve never seen him do such a transformative role, so even though it’s naff, it’s great fun to watch.
In John Murlowski’s film the budget can’t cover the rollercoasters-in-the-mansion of the last one but they still come up with some cool stuff for kids to admire, like a fleet of snowmobiles, Richie’s own Santa sleigh and a magic fishing rod (?) Not so cool is Richie’s housemaid robot thing that looks like someone tried to do a live action Alice from The Jetsons and they got too far into production before they realised it looked crap.
Richie’s family have a festive visit from the similarly loaded Van Dough family, including their entertainingly brattish son Reggie (Jake Richardson), the kind of spoiled hellion who spits hot tea in the face of his man-servants. Reggie hates Richie because he tricked him into drinking hot water or something, so when Richie sets off on his annual jaunt to deliver gifts to the orphanage, devious Reggie sabotages the turbo-powered sleigh, causing havoc and ruining Christmas.
Naturally, Richie gets the blame and, in a fit of self-loathing, wishes he’d never existed - within earshot of Keanbean’s patented ‘Wishing Machine’. Before he knows it, Richie’s zapped into an alternate reality where he was never born. How he is able to exist there, despite never being born is not explained, but it’s a Christmas film, so shoosh. In this world, Reggie owns everything, including Richie’s house and, brilliantly, Richie’s parents. Apparently he just sued everyone until he got everything he wanted.
Our wealthy young hero must rebuild the Wish Machine so he can Save Christmas, leading to a madcap museum heist to steal a “dinosaur’s wishbone”.
Despite the film’s faults, I still really enjoy the bit where Reggie wishes he could fly, only to realise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be and actually a bit annoying. The effects for this sequence are rubbish, but the kid’s furiously vexed performance is extremely amusing.
It’s a bizarre, imaginative spin on It’s a Wonderful Life, aimed firmly at kids, though adults will likely find it a slog. Pre-teens will surely get a kick out of some of the silly set-pieces and the film’s message is admirable - just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you need to act like a dick. It ends with some seriously cheesy carolling too, which is fine by me.
Kommentare