>>REVIEW
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS
STARRING: Wilmer Valderrama, Dyllan Christopher, Tyler James Williams Quinn Shepard and Lewis Black
DIRECTED BY: Paul Feig
Opens Friday, December 8
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Taken out of context, Unaccompanied Minors is a formulaic children’s movie. Four kids get trapped in an airport due to a blizzard and, as one might expect, trouble ensues. As a family Christmas film though, it’s a whole lot of charming holiday fun.
Spencer Davenport (played by the talented Dyllan Christopher) and his little sister Katherine are on their way to visit dad for Christmas, when their layover flight from Chicago to Philadelphia gets cancelled due to an unexpected storm. A kind airport employee (Wilmer Valderrama) brings the two to the UM, or Unaccompanied Minors room, which is in utter disarray – kids screaming, running, throwing things and making a huge mess. Spencer meets up with other kids in a similar situation to his own – the children of divorced parents who are travelling on Christmas Eve in order to be with the "other" parent. There is the feisty tomboy (played by Quinn Shephard), the pretty, snotty, rich girl, and the undisputable star of the show, Charlie Goldfinch, a studious Jewish African-American boy who hates to get in trouble but seems to be quite drawn to it on this occasion. He’s played like a true pro by the hilarious Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris).
The four amigos are separated from the rest of the UM’s when they leave the room, despite being warned not to. They are then informed by Oliver (Lewis Black), the mean head of passenger relations, that all of the other underage travellers have been taken to the warm and cozy lodge for the evening, and they, due to their disobedience, will have to stay in the UM room, which by now smells like a horse died in it. The rest of the movie has the four tweens running away from security guards, stumbling upon the hidden rooms of the Hoover airport and getting in and out of many dilemmas. A highlight is when Charlie finds an eight-track in the unclaimed luggage storeroom and starts busting out some crazy (and comical) moves.
Directed by Paul Feig (TV director of such shows as Arrested Development and The Office), the movie has no surprising twists or turns, but it is a touching movie about how unexpected friends can sometimes come together as family, and how the infectious Christmas spirit can brighten almost anyone’s outlook on life (in the movies, anyway). A sure holiday hit, Unaccompanied Minors should leave you, and your kids, with a smile. |
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