Well produced on what appears to be a medium budget, "Bugsy" is a cute romp through the NY gangster heyday. The under 16 year old cast is what truly makes this film fun to watch. This is especially true knowing that most of the kids never appeared in anything else. (Notable exceptions being a pre-Happy Days Scott Baio and, an already accomplished film and TV star, Jodie Foster...) The film has it's flaws, the most striking to me being the decision (possibly budget related) to have adults sing the musical numbers. This caused what was actually a pretty decent musical score to seem little more than catchy background music at times. Even if the cast sang off-key, it would have been a little better than hearing Paul Williams' voice coming out of a kid's mouth. (very awkward) This is to take nothing away from Mr. Williams singing or writing ability because if you were around in the 70's and were sober enough to have memories of it you will instantly recognize his unique voice and musical style. All in all, "Bugsy Malone" is a great movie to enjoy with the kids. My 9 year old is now bugging me to get the soundtrack. (Good luck finding that...)
Review of Bugsy Malone
