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Dr. Von Kemp’s seven-hour motivational speech doesn’t quite have an impact on Chester Lee (Rodney Dangerfield), as his attitude is constantly bright, cheery and happily sarcastic, but he still feels extra prepared for a promotion after 12 years as a salesman at Mullen Industries. But David R. Mullen (Tom Parks) isn’t interested in another employee thinking they’re due for a raise – what he needs is a winning soccer coach for his daughter’s team, so that his shapely wife will be content. Chester gets so distracted sucking up to the boss that before he knows it he’s volunteered to coach the team, the Ladybugs. Chester doesn’t know anything about soccer, but how hard could it be? The team has an entire wall of trophies in Mullen’s office, and he’s got his coworker Julie Benson (Jackee) as an assistant. The first practice proves him dead wrong; every champion from the previous years have moved on, leaving the bewildered Chester with a group of beginners with comparatively little knowledge of the game. It’s bad enough that he has to worry about his fiancé Bess (Ilene Graff) planning their wedding, and her son Matthew (Jonathan Brandis) earning poor grades in school and having a general disgust for Chester, but now he fears losing his job. As it so happens, Matthew is a whiz when it comes to sports, and just may be able to aid in Chester’s dilemma. |
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Early on, Ladybugs features a bizarre, scantily-clad fantasy/dream sequence in which the boss’ daughter Kimberly (Vinessa Shaw) reveals a bit too much for her youthful age for the equally young Matthew (intended to be 14), setting the stage for unanticipated humor. Many of the funniest bits involve Dangerfield summing up events that took place off-screen, but there are also several cross-dressing issues and sexual insinuations that are intended to be clever double entendres that come across as wildly out of place for such an innocent premise. However, they’re actually the most inappropriately hilarious moments, due almost entirely to their unexpected nature. Getting a laugh over child abuse certainly isn’t something as generally accepted in the comedies of the 2000’s. The situations in the film are merely setups for Dangerfield to wisecrack and bug his eyes out, so when a few gags fall flat, the pacing drastically suffers. The progression of scenes and editing is rather amateurish, and the acting is recognizably mediocre. So much of Ladybugs is dated, from the music to the montages, but the crudeness of the jokes associated with Dangerfield and Brandis in drag, along with cursing children, are ideas few other light-hearted comedies dare to explore. Lying and corrupting a child present fairly serious conflicts, despite the similarities to Mrs. Doubtfire (released a year later) and Tootsie. The coach eventually realizes that there are more important things in life than getting the big office, more money or even winning the championship, but it’s a morally bumpy ride. The final motivation for the Ladybugs to give it their all is based on taunting and provoked revenge. “What good is being the best if it brings out the worst in you?” asks Lee – but apparently he doesn’t follow his own advice. At least Rodney Dangerfield looks funny even before he says anything, with his inimitable way of peeling back his eyelids and continually moving about as if struck by a nervous twitch. - Mike Massie 4/10 Ladybugs is presented in 1080P High Definition, with an aspect ratio of 16x9 Widescreen with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. English and Spanish subtitles are also on the disc, but sadly, like the DVD release before it, there are no special features. |
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