Another movie that I was ashamed of having not seen. But again, I am ashamed no more, because this is definitely one of the finest movie-musicals of all time, and it definitely earns it's place in nostalgia's past. The music was absolutely wonderful, the performances were great, and the story is very funny. The movie definitely has a bit more of the feel of a stage production rather than a movie, but it's not meant to be taken seriously, it's definitely meant to be an irreverent and fun dark comedy.
The film is about Seymour Krelborn, a nerdy loser who works at Mr. Mushnik's flower shop on Skid Row. He is constantly berated by his boss and is in love with his coworker, who happens to have an abusive dentist boyfriend. He finds a mysterious plant and his life changes forever. Then Audrey II (the plant) begins to grow, and demands more blood. It turns out Audrey II is an alien plant that has plans for world domination and Seymour needs to stop it before it destroys the city. There's also the blossoming of the relationship between Audrey and Seymour and her desire for a quiet life outside Skid Row, in the suburbs with Seymour.
The story is pretty wel-written, and if you like blacker-than-black comedy, then you will probably love this one. The story itself is highly original, and the movie on a whole is terrific. However, where it truly shines is its original music. I know it's based on a play, but the play's original music is terrific and it transfers to the big screen beautifully. My personal favourite songs from the movie are Suddenly Seymour and Dentist, mostly because I happen to love Seymour and Steve Martin is a ton of fun in this movie. If you don't want to see this movie, then I would at least recommend you listen to the soundtrack, because it is great.
The whole movie has more of a stage-y feel than a movie feel, but the movie is just so terrific that I am willing to forget it and just enjoy the movie. I would definitely be interested in seeing a performance of this, and if I ever do, I will add it into this review. That's pretty much all that can be said about the story and the feel of the movie, so we shall move on to the performances.
Professional nerd Rick Moranis is starring in the lead as Seymour, and may I say he did terrifically. Rick Moranis is a wonderful comedian and surprisingly, he also has a wonderful singing voice. Ellen Greene was also terrific as Audrey, and the scene-stealing turn from Steve Martin was absolutely stunning. The rest of the auxiliary performances were just okay though, except the turn from Bill Murray, which was fantastic. Plus, I never thought Rick Moranis attractive until now. What can I say, I like geeks. All in all, the performances were great.
This is definitely a must-see movie for all fans of movie-musicals and dark comedy. This is definitely one of my new favourite movies of all time and one of my favourite movie-musicals of all time. Definitely one of the best of it's genre, Little Shop of Horrors is a highly kooky, fun, irreverent experience with great music and great performances. All in all, one of the greatest musicals ever made and definitely has my recommendation.
