When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toy... Read allWhen Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 12 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTheatrical movie debut of Jamie Foxx (Baker).
- GoofsDuring the campfire scene General Zevo asks Patrick, "Hey, do you remember that kid who flew a Beechnut into Red Square?" Patrick corrects him by saying it was a Beechcraft, not a Beechnut. Actually, the're both wrong. Mathias Rust, the German teenager who landed his plane in Moscow's Red Square in 1987, flew a Cessna not a Beechcraft.
- Quotes
Leslie Zevo: Four stores and many Christmases ago, my father brought forth a factory conceived in innocence and joy and squeezable fun for everyone.
- Crazy creditsDuring the credits, we see a dreamlike sequence of the elephant statue from Kenneth's grave flying over the hills.
- Alternate versionsThe1993 UK VHS versions omit a sexual reference of around 5 seconds to obtain a 'PG' rating.
- SoundtracksWinter Reveries (excerpts from SYMPHONY NO. 1)
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Arranged and Edited by Trevor Horn
The direction is muddled, the tone goofy and the elements child-like. It plays like a family film but it isn't--its PG-13 rating is evidence of that. It's about toys and war--and if you think that sounds a bit silly, you're right. It's a bit distressing to hear this was Levinson's dream project--what in the world would make him want to make this piece of garbage?
It opens with a man on his deathbed named Kenneth Zevo (Donald O'Connor). Zevo owns a prosperous toy company that manufactures millions of children-friendly toys. Aware of his close fatality, he decides to hand over his company to The General (Michael Gambon), a military extremist. After his death, The General does, indeed, take over the company, and he starts to manufacture military games to pollute children's minds.
Zevo also had a son and a daughter, Leslie (Robin Williams) and Alsatia (Joan Cusack), the latter of whom is very quacky and not so bright. Leslie, on the other hand, is just a bit too eccentric to own a toy company. But he has morals--when he hears of his brother's new military toys, he is maddened and tries to take back his father's company and restore it to its original state.
The cast also includes LL Cool J as The General's son, who is a camoflauge extraordinare. He is the muscle man and bodyguard of the movie. But he doesn't carry the same unspoken intimidation that Oddjob did in "Goldfinger," a movie of much greater quality.
"Toys" seems inspired, to a point, but it doesn't go anywhere. The overall tone of the film is just wrong--have you ever seen "Streetfighter" with Jean-Claude Van Damme? Yeah, it feels like that--awkward, childish and downright stupid. Of course, it is an alternate universe of toys we're talking about, but something still doesn't click--they can make the movie bright, looney and original without resorting to "Streetfighter" ineptness.
Robin Williams seems at home as an odd toy maker. Joan Cusack has always been a bit odd--she fits here. Robin Wright (Penn), as the love interest of the film, is not needed but we all know that every story needs a love interest. And Barry Levinson is a terrific director, who has made more than a handful of good, quality films. Which is why "Toys" is simply unacceptable.
Barry Levinson directed better with "Rainman," Robin Williams was more lovable as an eccentric, good-natured man in "Jumanji" (1995), Joan Cusack was funnier in "My Blue Heaven" (1990), and Robin Wright (Penn) was a great deal better in "The Princess Bride" (1987) and a little movie with Tom Hanks about a guy named Gump. ("Forrest Gump," 1994.) Any way you slice and dice it, "Toys" is in a league of its own as one of the biggest disappointments in the history of filmmaking. Visually, it's a delight. Cinematically, it's a disaster.
1/5 stars.
- John Ulmer
- MovieAddict2016
- Oct 20, 2003
- How long is Toys?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $43,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $23,278,931
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,810,027
- Dec 20, 1992
- Gross worldwide
- $23,278,931
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1