Four Kids and It
| Four Kids and It | |
|---|---|
 Official promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Andy De Emmony |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Four Children and It by Jacqueline Wilson |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | John Pardue |
| Edited by | Alex Mackie |
| Music by | Anne Nikitin |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Altitude |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $588,001[1] |
Four Kids and It is a 2020 British fantasy film directed by Andy De Emmony and written by Simon Lewis and Mark Oswin, based on the novel Four Children and It by Jacqueline Wilson, which was in turn based on the novel Five Children and It by E. Nesbit.
The film stars Paula Patton, Russell Brand, Michael Caine and Matthew Goode.[2][3]
Premise
While on holiday in Cornwall, the Trent children discover a mysterious creature with magical powers. It doesn't take long before the kids find out that their wicked uncle (Russell Brand) plans to use the creature's wishmaking for his own dastardly deeds.
Cast
- Billy Jenkins as Robbie Trent
- Ashley Aufderheide as Samantha "Smash" Trent
- Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen as Ros Trent
- Ellie-Mae Siame as Maudie Trent
- Paula Patton as Alice Trent
- Russell Brand as Uncle Tristan Trent / Tristan Trent III
- Michael Caine as the voice of Psammead
- Matthew Goode as David Trent
- Cheryl as Coco Rayne
- William Franklyn-Miller as Carl
- Paul Bazely as Sgt. Gascoigne
- Finbarr Doyle as Security Guard
Production
Principal photography started in July 2018 in Ireland.[2]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 49% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 5.51/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Four Kids and It has a few moments of whimsy and charm, but it's not enough to leave a lasting impression."[4] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
Guy Lodge of Variety wrote: "“Careful what you wish for” may have been the essential moral takeaway from the source books, but that wasn’t to discourage wishing for anything at all: In all respects, this serviceable but anodyne programmer could dream a bit bigger."[6] Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter called it "More curio than classic, Four Kids and It may hold children’s attention (and sometimes test adults’ patience) over the movie’s brief running time, but seems unlikely to inspire many a rewatch."[7]
Anna Smith of Empire Magazine wrote: "The kids and Caine are good, but this lacks the magic of its source novels. Younger children may enjoy it, but its attempts to entertain older viewers mostly fall flat."[8]
It earned $588,001 at the global box office.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Four Kids and It Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ a b Report, Electronic Urban (22 July 2018). "Paula Patton Joins Russell Brand, Michael Caine in Action Adventure Film 'Four Kids and It' Based on a book written by Darren Hotchkiss from Gosport - EURweb". Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ^ "Four Kids and It". British Film Council. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ "Four Kids and It (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Four Kids and It Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (4 April 2020). "'Four Kids and It': Film Review". Variety.
- ^ Justin Lowe (2020). "'Four Kids and It': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Anna Smith (3 April 2020). "Four Kids And It". Empire.