"Bugsy Malone", an all-kids gangster musical set in the 1930s, is either adorable, infantile or extremely disturbing (depending on one's state of mind). The henchmen that make up speakeasy owner Fat Sam's army are being eliminated by his nemesis, suave Dandy Dan (who uses tommy guns that shoot whipped cream). Meanwhile, hero Bugsy, who promises to take gal Blousey Brown to Hollywood before getting robbed, scouts a boxer to help him seek revenge. Debut feature for writer-director Alan Parker isn't very polished or witty, and what there is of a plot goes absolutely nowhere. That said, this G-rated film looks and sounds terrific, with a handsome production design by Geoffrey Kirkland (who won the BAFTA) and a fine series of songs composed by Paul Williams. Jodie Foster pops up intermittently as chanteuse Tallulah, and gets her own song (dubbed, as are all the others, by adult singers); Florrie Dugger has a lovely deep voice and a likably sarcastic demeanor as the ingenue (though she's shaky to start); and Martin Lev is impressive as icy-cool Dandy Dan. Still, there's a great deal of uncertainty afoot: the title song, for instance, is played at the opening over clips of the movie that haven't happened yet--it's like a coming attraction. There's also an inherent flaw in the picture's conception: the whipped cream bullets are supposed to be lethal, but the pies have only a pixilated effect on the characters at the finale. "Bugsy Malone" is a novelty picture, one that initially only found an audience in the UK, where it was produced; however, it did receive one well-deserved Oscar nomination for Williams' original song score and has a handful of memorable moments. **1/2 from ****
Review of Bugsy Malone
