Night At The Movies

Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (Warner Brothers)

Synopsis:

    Seymore Krelborne is a nobody, until a strange and unusual plant he found starts to grow.  Unfortunately the only plant food Audrey II (yes, that's the name of the plant) will eat is fresh human blood.  When Audrey II grows too large to be satisfied by Seymore's drops of blood, Seymore is forced to find a body -- which is supplied by the sadistic dentist boyfriend of Audrey, a girl that Seymore wishes was his girlfriend.  When the dentist turns up missing, Seymore becomes worried that someone will link him to the crime, though he did not kill the dentist (you just have to watch to find out).  Instead, fame finds Seymore, but Audrey II is out to take over the world, and is planning on using Seymore one way or another to do it.

Availability:
    It is on VHS for around fifteen dollars.  The DVD was available for a short time, but was pulled because of problems with the encoding.  No word yet on its availability.

Cast/Crew:
Rick Moranis                        Seymore Krelborne
        Spaceballs
        Honey I Shrunk . . . Series
        Ghostbusters
        Ghostbusters 2
        Big Bully
        Strange Brew

Steve Martin                          Orrin Scrivello D.D.M.
        The Three Amigos
        Father of the Bride
        Father of the Bride 2
        Parenthood

Miscellaneous:
    The musical is based on the film of the same name in which a young Jack Nicholas played the role that was played by Bill Murray in this film (I'm gonna get a candy bar!).
    The lyricist and songwriter are Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.  They also did the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and two songs for Aladdin.
    Little Shop is full of cameos, from Bill Murray, to John Candy, to James Belushi, to Steve Martin (he lies somewhere in between cameo and starring role).
MPAA Rating:
    PG-13 for language, plant eating bodies.

My Rating:
    This is a good one.  I enjoy the music and Steve Martin is at his peak as the sadistic dentist.  Younger viewers may not enjoy the appetite of Audrey II, nor will many female dates (personal experience).  However, it is a good renter.
    ***1/2
J-R                            Night at the Movies 1