Review of Under the Rainbow

A gloriously promising idea: 1930s movie-studio executives have a difficult time controlling all the "little people" they've hired to play Munchkins for the movie "The Wizard Of Oz". Director Steve Rash opens the film with the right amount of edgy whimsy and queasy sentimentality, hinting this may have been a twisted, funny fracas with a little bit of heart amongst its grosser gags. Unfortunately, the script seems half-completed, and stars Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher (a likable screen-duo) are lost along the way. Scattered laughs cannot compensate for headache-inducing final third, with Adam Arkin screaming until he's hoarse. Even comedy legend Eve Arden fails to register, which is criminal. * from ****