Little Giants

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Cast & Crew

Rick Moranis
Danny O'Shea

Ed O'Neill
Kevin O'Shea

John Madden
Self

Shawna Waldron
Becky O'Shea

Mary Ellen Trainor
Karen O'Shea

Matthew McCurley
Nubie

Susanna Thompson
Patty Floyd

Brian Haley
Mike Hammersmith

Sam Horrigan
Spike Hammersmith

Todd Bosley
Jake Berman

Duwayne Dunham
Director

James Ferguson
Writer (Screenplay)

Robert Shallcross
Writer (Screenplay)

Tommy Swerdlow
Writer (Screenplay)

Michael Goldberg
Writer (Screenplay)

Gerald R. Molen
Executive Producer

Walter F. Parkes
Executive Producer

Arne Schmidt
Producer

Janusz Kaminski
Cinematographer

Donn Cambern
Film Editor

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Critic Reviews for Little Giants

Audience Reviews for Little Giants

• Oct 20, 2020

  Little Giants has managed to be a mainstay with me since it was first released. It's not the greatest kids film in the market but its fun and offers a nice team-up of Moranis and O'Neill. The film flopped on release but I know it managed a small viewership on VHS release. I caught this again on Netflix last night and it's still a nice little film that has a lot of heart. It's still aimed at the younger audience but as these underdog story-lines go, it's not bad. Not without its flaws, but you'll be hard pressed not to find yourself enjoying this film in the end. 20/10/2020
  Brendan O Super Reviewer
• Jun 26, 2017

  Ah the old cliched sports movie, a veritable treasure trove of...cliches. I mean what can I possibly say here that everyone doesn't already know about? It doesn't matter that this is a kids movie, in fact that makes it even worse for the cringeworthy cliches. So the little all American town of Urbania (sounds like a small eastern European country) has a pee-wee football team called the Cowboys. Said team is coached by the local hero Kevin O'Shea (Ed O'Niell). After try outs for the team various useless kids are cut including local girl Becky who is daughter of Kevin's brother Danny (Rick Moranis). Upset by being cut Becky convinces her dad to create another team for all the kids who didn't make the grade for the Cowboys. Unfortunately this goes against the rules of one town, one team which is pointed out with much glee from Kevin. So Danny and his ragtag team of inept kids challenge Kevin and his well oiled machine of kids, to a playoff. Which team will represent the town Valkenvania...Castlevania...Transylvania...Urbania!! Yeah so you should know what to expect here, we've seen this type of thing a million times in various movies for kids. The bumbling cack-handed kids of the Little Giants team are a stereotypical bunch. You've got the fat kid who's funny because he's fat, clearly very unfit and unhealthy...funny huh! The scrawny weedy kid who's half the size of everyone else, wears glasses, has a basin haircut and is a mummy's boy. The token black kid...who also can't catch. The token Asian kid...who's also mega fat and wears glasses. One kid who cries all the time, one kid who gets injured all the time, and of course the one good looking blonde kid who's kinda good. On the other hand the fitter and better trained kids of the Cowboys team are also a stereotypical bunch. Stereotypical in the sense that they all look pretty uniform in appearance from physique to haircuts. One team is an uncouth messy mishmash of nerds; the other a highly organised, well trained team of young jocks. Each teams coach also represents those stereotypes in the sense that Danny (Moranis) is more of a laid back, spectacle wearing academic type who wants the kids to just have fun. Where as Kevin (O'Niell) is more of a no nonsense coach with a slick haircut, fancy sports car and likes (has) to win big. Danny coaches his unruly Giants with creative methods that involve no funds. Kevin has his own assistant, the team have expensive proper kits and equipment, and they use pro training methods within proper facilities. The movie certainly does seem to push the old negative stereotype that anyone who wears spectacles must be some sort of weedy nerd who is more academic than sporty. Vice versa it also pushes the daft stereotype that anyone who is sporty must be large, muscular and have a buzz cut. The thing is the movie never really addresses those stereotypes. I mean yeah sure the Giants win in the end (unsurprising spoiler alert!) and the Cowboys do recognise and applaud their opponents, but the stereotypes are still there, the movie doesn't really attempt to rectify them. Being a sports movie about American (pee-wee) football mixed with elements from 'Home Alone' does offer up some nice ideas, but its still a by the numbers movie really. Lots of silly training montages from both teams, lots of silliness from the kids, heartfelt moments from the adults yadda yadda yadda. There is a painfully slow car chase sequence in the movie which was so obviously staged I dunno why they kept it in. I do like Ed O'Niell but yet again he's basically giving us Al Bundy with his performance, he seems completely unable to break away from that persona. Where as Rick Moranis just does what he's always done really, play a spectacle wearing geek with a heart. As for the kid actors, well they do OK. They all do a good job in playing disgusting or wimpy nerds that's for sure, they all looked their parts. Obviously this movie is the typical underdog tale, unashamedly so, and that's not a bad thing because it is supposed to be for young kids. And while the movie is a feel good flick which kids I'm sure will enjoy, I can't help but feel the overall message is somewhat mixed (if you wear glasses you're a nerd!). Its definitely a well made movie, very colourful, cheerful and chock full of cheekiness, just don't expect anything original. But I think we all know and expect this.
  Phil H Super Reviewer
• Jan 07, 2012

  If I remember right the very 1st time I saw this movie I didn't like it but after seeing it again so many years later I think it was a good movie.Now I wonder what it was that I didn't like about it.I enjoyed it from the start.Ed O' Neil was great as the local football hero who was a bit of a douchebag & when he did that Heisman trophy pose I thought of Al Bundy & Ric Moranis was good as his younger brother.Little Giants also has a decent ending which everybody can enjoy but what family movie doesn't?
  Brody M Super Reviewer
• May 25, 2011

  Same old plot, but much funnier than other movies of its kind
  

  Jackson W Super Reviewer

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