SAVANNAH SMILES

REVIEWED BY BRETT WILLIS

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: language, thematic elements

Rated:

Many people, myself included, have been delighted at their first viewing of this relatively unknown film. It defies simple classification. It’s built around serious subject matter, but treats everything with a touch that’s “light” yet not “trite.” The closest thing I can compare it to is the old Shirley Temple movies.

As the film opens, the overweight and recently-paroled Bootsie McGaffee (Donovan Scott) sets off a remote-control explosive and drives up in a ridiculously-camouflaged amphibious vehicle to spring his buddy Alvie Gibbs (Mark Miller) from a prison road crew. Alvie wasn’t expecting this, and he’s due to be paroled in less than a week. But when the guards start shooting at him, he has no choice but to hop into Bootsie’s car. And the break succeeds! So now we have a pair of not-too-bright fugitives on the loose, surviving by living in abandoned buildings, eating roadkill and committing very inept armed robberies.

Somewhere on the other side of town (Salt Lake City area), rich political-climber Richard Driscoll (Chris Robinson) is positioning himself for an election on a “law and order” platform. It’s obvious that he’s very distant from his six-year-old daughter Savannah (Bridgette Andersen) and that his wife is caught in the middle, with her husband demanding her total support even to the point of skipping tucking Savannah in bed at night if necessary. Savannah is the sweetest little thing, but very lonely. One day, triggered by the content of an old Li’l Rascals/Our Gang movie, she decides to run away from home. Before doing so, she also hears a story from some girl friends about princes disguised as vagabonds, who help a princess.

Any guesses where the story is going? Yup, when she DOES run, she picks Alvie and Bootsie’s car to stow away in. When they discover her, they’re not too wild about the prospect of 99 years in the Federal Pen on kidnapping charges, but contrived circumstances force them to keep her for a while. Then they find out about the reward money, and set their sights on finding a way to collect it themselves. Richard brings in a top-notch investigator, played by Peter Graves of the old “Mission: Impossible” TV series. The only other notable-name actor in the film is Pat Morita as a priest.

While the investigators argue over strategy, Alvie and Bootsie are being transformed by Savannah’s irresistible charm. By the way, the film’s title is taken from one of several original soundtrack songs written by Ken Sutherland. The mute, music-background characterization sequences are nice; a little overdone sometimes, but probably so on purpose. Profanity consists of seven h*, three d*, one a*, one s* (muffled), one “bitch” as a verb, one bas* and four exclamations of “God”, “Good Lord” etc. There’s gunfire, explosions and other violence, done in a comic tone to keep it light and relatively family-friendly. The only remotely sensual content is when Alvie goes to a C&W bar and plays up to the band’s female lead singer. They exchange glances across the room and next thing, they’re slow dancing and she’s kissing his neck and spilling him her life story. He’s playing her, but not for the reason we might expect. He wants her to turn Savannah in and split the reward money with them.

The bar sequence is intercut with glimpses of Bootsie happily playing with Savannah back at the hideout. Obviously the intent is to show the contrast between real and put-on affection. While Bootsie is the first to fall under Savannah’s spell, the hardened Alvie eventually succumbs as well. The crooks have close contact with Savannah (helping her with her bubble bath, tucking her in at night etc.) and there’s not the slightest hint that any impropriety ever crosses their minds. They do warn her that the next time she climbs into a stranger’s car she might not be so lucky. In fact, they seem to make better parents than Savannah’s real parents. The main preachy point of the film is that Alvie and Bootsie have an epiphany, while Richard has none. And all this is done without making the bad guys into heroes. They still deserve to go back to prison, yet there’s some good in them.

Unless you have an absolute no-profanity rule (which I respect), this could be worth seeing for the entire family. It’s been remarked that Mark Miller (the father of Penelope Ann Miller), who gives Alvie a wide range of emotion and who also wrote this story, is an underrated and underutilized actor. I agree. Bridgette Andersen had about ten other film and TV credits, including the cute but inferior-quality Parent Trap II, and “retired” at the ripe old age of 12. I’m sorry to report that she died at age 21 from an alcohol and drug overdose (ruled accidental). Stardom can be a dangerous thing, and Hollywood is especially notorious for chewing up and spitting out child actors when their cuteness wears off. I have no idea whether that fact had anything to do with her death, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

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