THE LITTLE RASCALS

The movie has a simple family-friendly setup: Spanky and the gang want Alfalfa to drive their go-cart in a big race, but Alfalfa is distracted by his feelings for Darla. The children are well directed, and the story contains some very good lessons.

The problem is that the film tries so hard to recreate the original Little Rascals that it drains away almost all the humor. Minor foul language, crude slapstick, and sexual innuendo also call for discernment with young children.

You can find some value here, but the film is not strong enough to justify seeking it out in theaters. Wait for home viewing, where your family can decide whether its mild content and limited humor are worthwhile.

Spanky calls a meeting of the “He-Man Woman Hater’s Club” and chooses Alfalfa to drive the club’s racer in an upcoming go-cart derby. But Alfalfa is busy singing love songs to Darla.

When Spanky and the gang discover his interest in girls, they try to disrupt his romantic plans. Meanwhile, Waldo, an obnoxious rich kid, enters the race with Darla as his navigator. Friendship, romance, and competition collide before the big race.

Two stars means this is a below-average comedy with a few worthwhile elements. The children are well directed, and the story includes some very good lessons.

Still, the movie cannot capture the magic of the original Little Rascals. Its effort to recreate that earlier style drains it of almost all humor. The source review says the best part is the final credits.

The source review says the film contains “some very good lessons,” but it does not identify those lessons in detail. The story does present children dealing with friendship, romantic interest, selfish behavior, competition, and the consequences of trying to sabotage another person’s plans.

The film’s worldview analysis is otherwise not supplied. Its content codes identify humanism, obscenity, and sexual material, but the source does not explain how those ideas function in the story.

The film’s central concerns include how children treat one another and what happens when rivalry and romantic jealousy shape their choices. Scripture says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

The Little Rascals has well-directed children and some good lessons, but it lacks the original’s magic and humor. Its mild content calls for discernment with young children. For most families, this is a WAIT FOR HOME movie—if you choose it at all.