Stupids, The MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 Content: +1

THE STUPIDS is a new comedy based on a popular series of children's books about an unusual family whose name reflects their intelligence. They have a knack for getting involved in bold adventures that arise out of their amazing misinterpretations of the most ordinary things. The film features Tom Arnold as Stanley Stupid and Jessica Lundy as his wife. They have two children, Buster (Bug Hall) and Petunia (Alex McKenna). When Dad discovers his garbage has been stolen again, he follows the culprits, the garbage collectors, to the city dump. When he sees the acres of garbage sacks, he assumes he has uncovered a massive criminal plot. But he also inadvertently stumbles onto some real villains, military men gone bad who are dealing weapons. The whole Stupid family embarks on a crime-fighting adventure with slapstick incidents. But most of the humor is so overly exaggerated and repetitious that even youngsters won't find this family funny for long. THE STUPIDS may have been more entertaining as a 20-minute Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Many explosions, gun threats, car chases and wrecks occur with no injuries shown. A demonic villain called Sender is imagined by Stanley to be the unlawful recipient of all mail marked return to Sender. Trapped in the planetarium, Buster and his dad think they are in heaven and the black janitor with a nametag that reads Lloyd is really the Lord. Lloyd has no idea what they are talking about, and their verbal exchange is comical but not disrespectful. Several exclamations taking the Lord's name in vain are spoken, however. There are no obscenities or crude phrases, and the film has no sexual content or nudity. The Stupid family unites to conquer the evil of the '90s with the wholesomeness of the '50s. It's not a memorable movie, but neither is THE STUPIDS offensive.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: New Line Cinema, 575 8th Ave., 16th Flr., NY, NY 10018