Little Shop of Horrors

Buy This Item Little Shop of Horrors by Warner Home Video  Available from Amazon  $4.97  on 8-28-2008     The off-Broadway comedy-horror-musical hit that ran for years makes a successful transfer to film with a bevy of big-name cameos and two perfectly cast leads. Rick Moranis is the nebbish Seymour, who pines for flower-girl Audrey (Ellen Greene) while living in the basement of florist Mr. Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). Things start turning around for Seymour, though, after he buys a little plant during a solar eclipse, christens it Audrey II, and discovers that it likes to drink blood. Soon enough, though, Seymour finds out that Audrey II, now grown to epic proportions, is in actuality a "mean green mother from outer space" that is hell-bent on world domination. Based on the 1960 Roger Corman cheapie that featured a young Jack Nicholson, <I>Little Shop</I> boasts a hilarious, amazing score by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who would go on to revitalize Disney's animation arm with <I>The Little Mermaid</I> and <I>Beauty and the Beast</I>. Greene, the lone holdover from the original cast, is a ravishing, goofy Audrey, whose awkward demeanor belies a voice that could knock Ethel Merman off her feet. She's ably matched by Moranis, whose lack of a singing voice is perfectly in sync with Seymour's nerdiness. And Levi Stubbs Jr. of the Four Tops provides the lowdown, nasty-minded voice of Audrey II; his rendition of the Oscar-nominated "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" is a showstopper. As for those celebrity cameos, Steve Martin's sadistic dentist is a masterful creation, as is Bill Murray's masochistic patient; John Candy, James Belushi, and Christopher Guest also pop up. And there was never a lovelier and funkier Greek chorus than the three Motown-fueled girls (Tichina Arnold, Michelle Weeks, and Tisha Campbell) who appear throughout the film. <I>--Mark Englehart</I> Reader Reviews This movie is strange. It reminds me of another strange one called "Rocky Horror Show". Both of them are cult classics. "Little Shop" is deliciously funny and entertaining. One of those movies that I enjoy seeing again and again. It is so old that even if they do not have the modern special effects for a monster film, still it can stand on its own. Yes, it is a musical. Although nothing is exceptionally catchy, Steve Martin's song is unforgettable. Steve Martin makes root canal sounds fun. The plot? It is about this strange plant who eats human. It gets bigger and hungrier every meal. A love triangle between Seymour (Rick Moranis), Audrey (Ellen Greene) and Orin (Steve Martin). Seymour is desperately in love with Audrey, but she's taken. Orin in turn is the sadistic dentist and leather-clad biker type boyfriend of Seymour. In the end, somebody dies. ...Well, forget about the plot. Just watch it - Because it's FUN!

Little Shop of Horrors Available from Amazon Price: $4.97 Updated on 8-28-2008.

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