'Fun Size' Film Review

Fun Size is the newest film that is sure to be watched by tweens all across the country. It follows the life of Cleveland High School student Wren (played by Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice) and her best friend April (played by Suburgatory star Jane Levy) as they set out for the best Halloween night of their life, however it soon turns out to be the worst.  Wren’s Halloween plans go a-wall as she is forced to look after her little brother, Albert (played by newcomer Jackson Nicoll,) instead of going to “the hottest guy in school” Halloween party and just when Wren thought it couldn’t get any worse she loses Albert and has to find him before her mum finds out she ever lost him.

Directed by Josh Schwartz it plays out the classic story of a girl who thinks she likes the hot boy but ends up liking the nerd. It is hard to understand why Albert helps the convenience store manager get revenge on his ex-girlfriend and I do not think the script shows Justice’s and Levy’s well known comic skills to the best of their ability. The script is badly written as there is nothing to suggest a relationship going on between Wren and, the ‘hottie’ Aaron Riley (Thomas McDonnell.) It is not clear who this film is aimed as for this film Nickelodeon has left its family friendly PG rating and has made it a 12A, they have hired tween stars such as Victoria Justice but then placed her alongside Chelsea Handler, who is probably unknown to anyone under the age of 18. It contains Fart Jokes and sex references, however its jokes always seem to fall flat, although the randomness of the script did mean it never became boring and the one-liners kept the audience on their toes. From watching the trailer we get the idea that the main plot of the story is Wren and April trying to find Albert, however a big part of the plot goes  to Wrens, recently widowed, mum and her love life; which is barely mentioned in the trailer. The search for Albert always seems to be more important when there is a lull in the teen romance area.

As usual in the tween comedies Wren does not get help from the hottie who she thinks she likes she gets it from two nerds, Roosevelt (Thomas Mann) and Peng (Osric Chau.) As with all tween comedies this film involves funny one-liners, nervous first kisses and a message that social hierarchy doesn’t matter, however anyone in secondary school will tell you this is not true.

Director, Josh Schwartz (OC and Gossip Girls) doesn’t tell the typical Halloween horror story but instead just retells every other tween film that has already been made, and he fails to repeat the winning formula that has been performed so well with his TV shows.

Justice is pleasing to the eye and charming on screen; however she occasionally tends to over act which is common for actors transferring from child stardom to more adult films. Levy plays the social climber character perfectly and seems to help carry the film naturally. Mann seems to portray a slightly more masculine nerd and Chau seems to play a nerd as if he were a natural.

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Ellie Kay