I can't understand how someone can do such thing. I don't know if it was independent movie or what. But I never saw so bad image (like every scene was "blur" or something)in a movie, even in independent ones. The script is predictable, the actors are bad acting, trying to make scenes funny. Instead they have come ridiculous. So, why did I watch it, someone can ask: because my kids (11 and 13yo) asked us to watch any movie in the TV with them. Then I suggested them to choose one. And they did! But even they didn't like it. It should be better if they had chosen other films at Nickelodeon or Disney channel that are re-run several times a week. My time wouldn't be so wasted as it was. And this movie was played at prime time on HBO Family!!!!!
12 Reviews
Not Entirely Horrible
mcgirr17 December 2007
Few movies are filmed in a more beautiful setting! The oaks and the eucalyptus trees would provide a beautiful backdrop for most any movie. The problems with this movie, however, are numerous. First of all, the dialog is very unnatural. It's as if the writer(s) didn't have an ear for dialog or else the dialog was changed for the worse at the last minute on the spot by the director. There are all sorts of real-world issues that don't translate well in the movie. For instance, how could one have cell phone service in the wilderness? Many times it is stated that they are deep in the wilderness and yet they have cell phone service. The movie was filmed eight years ago and even now most of Nevada is without cell phone service. You get a few hundred yards off 395 in the Owens Valley and there's no cell phone service. Which gets us to the eucalyptus trees! Unless this was supposed to be wilderness in Australia, there would be no eucalyptus trees! There are many other problems with the movie, some that border on the absurd, but I don't want to give any of the plot away. At any rate, the movie was mostly pleasant, but there were several times that I found myself distracted by poor dialog and continuity issues!
a Very Decent Entertain Family Flick
sandlot199225 September 2022
One Small Hero is one of the most obscure family movies that is probably worth watching for the whole family with a great and delightful moral no matter what size you are or if you are too little. Joey Cooper is your typical protagonist who's willing to be in the Wilderness club and is also a fan of Cool Man (who is a fictional superman similar to Turbo Man from Jingle all the Way) and lives with his widowed Mother after his Father (who was a Firefighter) passed away a few years ago and always keeps a picture of Him and his father all the time since there's no stopping him on not giving up, despite telling his mother the truth that he did not pass the test for the Wilderness club because of his Coach believes he's just too small (and similar the License to Drive when Les Anderson was too embarrassed to tell his parents how he flunked the test.) so then he hides on the bus with the Wilderness Club campers; On the way to the campsite, they are kidnapped by two crooks (lead by this one guy who has a Beard and wears a green camo cap and even makes me think of the Sheriff of Nottingham played by Alan Rickman or something) after the Bus breaks down. One of the campers is the daughter of a senator, and they want him to release their brother from prison in exchange for the girl. Plus there are even some scenes similar to the 3 Home Alone movies (and before the Infamous 4th Home Alone movie that aired on Television) and the movie itself feels like a family version of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves but set in modern times circa 1999 and minus the Violence, Foul Language and other stuff that's found in the movie with Kevin Costner that's rated PG-13; during one scene in this film, Joey Cooper sets out his camping equipment and wears Sarah's purple bandana after she left it behind after she and the classmates are being held hostage which is similar to that scene in Kids of the Round Table (1995), Joey uses his brain rather than relying on physical strength, succeeding in foiling the kidnappers, and freeing all of the campers. He saves them all and becomes one small hero. I first saw this movie on youtube back in 2016 to my major discovery and despite that it had subtitles in Portuguese and it was a really good family film and yet heartwarming at the same time, the story is very good to great, and the characters are good as well and the moral on not to give up and this is the kind of movie to watch with your family and friends and it's a probably a little Popcorn flick with all the little action scenes as well.
so bad!
blue_wave_aqua20 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
No kid can take on twice his size...come on! I just didn't get it.The kid actually manages to save everyone from a bad guy. Normally, bad guys aren't so dumb. The way Hutch hits Baby is so fake! It was a touching movie but i didn't think it was all that if you know what I mean. I see why the kid actors haven't acted in anything else. Everyone I know hates this movie. It's hard to believe it actually made it on the air. Although I said this movie is terrible, it's not as bad as From Justin to Kelly. That was bad. I have to agree with someone else on this. The songs and hand-clapping games were nice touches. For all the future watchers of this movie, change the channel after you see a blonde kid with a baseball cap that he's wearing backwards. This is where its starts to turn terrible.
Felt too much like home alone.
Jon_Tees16 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I feel the downfall of this movie was the fact that the villains were not worthy adversaries for this particular undersized hero. They were a couple of bumbling idiots, one of them was mean natured, fat and out of shape. And the other was good natured, weak as a kitten and not very bright. So by him getting the better of two people like this it just made me feel as though I was watching a home alone movie. In fact it felt a lot like that. Especially with the traps set for the "bad guys" in the woods in order to capture them and save the girl who was their primary target. The core of the storyline is good in a lot of ways but the acting is somewhat bad and it would have been better if the villains were a bit more worthy causing the hero to have to over come more and giving the movie a different feel.
Plus common sense would have the out of shape guy go for his gun at least a couple of times, while he is chasing after the hero character or one of the many other kids. The guy had a gun in full view and I don't recall him pulling it once. That being said he might as well have had a knife or something instead.
Plus common sense would have the out of shape guy go for his gun at least a couple of times, while he is chasing after the hero character or one of the many other kids. The guy had a gun in full view and I don't recall him pulling it once. That being said he might as well have had a knife or something instead.
Excellent family entertainment
jonnelsonatheist6 August 2006
I found this to be an enjoyable and entertaining movie. As a schoolteacher, I am always glad to find something I can show my students that does not use profanity, have excessive violence, sexual content, or have other things that might be labeled objectionable. The acting is quite good, despite the fact that most of the actors are not well known. They are believable and none of them are show stealers. Particularly interesting is the way in which Joey's nemesis, Reese, goes back and forth in his views of Joey. There are enough interesting sub-plots like this to keep the viewer interested. Movies of this type seem to be increasingly difficult to come by. "One Young Hero" is truly "family-oriented" and entertains without being sugary.
Too Cute to Miss
cek60114 May 2001
My children and I truly enjoyed this delightful movie. Even though the story line is a little predictable, the actors made it fun to watch. This is a "kid" movie. They loved the slapstick, and the predictability. The scene with Joey on the porch talking to his "dad" was my favorite. It brought tears to my eyes. That boy was very natural and sincere. My children and I thought it was cute,and a lot of fun for family entertainment.
Tries to be "Lord of the Flies", but comes of as "Ernest Goes to Camp"
MovieMarauder29 June 2001
Warning: Spoilers
If you're looking for a cute movie about a little boy overcoming insurmountable odds and saving his peers from danger and death, this may be a film for you. But for you true-blue survival movie fans out there, this film may just make you laugh a bit. If you read on, please be prepared for what may be considered spoilers...
The setup is pretty much typical. A group of kids going on a backpacking adventure in the mountains are accosted by a duo of what seem to be (but are never thoroughly described as) a duo of right-wing fanatics living on a compound, who kidnap the kids to get their brother-in-the-cause, who robbed a bank, released from prison. They use a senator's daughter as the bait for what is a typical hostage-and-demand setup (i.e. Air Force One, Ransom, etc.) Little do any of them know, a small classmate who was rejected from the Wilderness Club has followed them throughout the whole trip, and is devising a way to free them. What ensues is a game of Cat-and-Mouse in which the young boy, aided by a few kids he manages to free, tries out ways to foil the bumbling cadre's efforts. Here is where my beef with this movie begins... The kids clearly have many chances to resort to subterfuge and escape, but they never seem to take advantage of the easiest possibilities. And even though these kids are supposed to be schooled in survival methods, you never really see them showing any real muscle or ingenuity in their plan. In fact, most of these kids are just plain whimps. For instance, while trying to figure out a method of quick escape, one child says, "Why don't we pounce on them in their sleep?!", to which another boy replies, "That'd be taking too much of a chance." Even though there are six of these kids, and only two of their assailants (who are nitwits anyway,) these kids are too scared to fight a battle that they have a good chance of winning! What is the meaning of wilderness survival in the first place?! You'd think that these kids oghta be painting their faces in the mud and carving darts out of nearby fallen trees, but instead, they are playing around with bags of Poison Oak and smoke-screens. This film doesn't depict survival as it truly is, and is a ridiculous patronization of even the PG age group. And because they are too passive and weak to take any initiative, it's hard to feel sympathy for them. Even though the kids are whimps and the captors are nitwits who couldn't even execute a hostage situation properly, the film does have some bright spots, and I am glad I watched it. It's a fun movie when analyzed for its comedy value, and it can be downright suspenseful at times. But in my opinion, if you're looking for a funny survival film, you would be better off watching Daniel Stern's "Bushwhacked."
The setup is pretty much typical. A group of kids going on a backpacking adventure in the mountains are accosted by a duo of what seem to be (but are never thoroughly described as) a duo of right-wing fanatics living on a compound, who kidnap the kids to get their brother-in-the-cause, who robbed a bank, released from prison. They use a senator's daughter as the bait for what is a typical hostage-and-demand setup (i.e. Air Force One, Ransom, etc.) Little do any of them know, a small classmate who was rejected from the Wilderness Club has followed them throughout the whole trip, and is devising a way to free them. What ensues is a game of Cat-and-Mouse in which the young boy, aided by a few kids he manages to free, tries out ways to foil the bumbling cadre's efforts. Here is where my beef with this movie begins... The kids clearly have many chances to resort to subterfuge and escape, but they never seem to take advantage of the easiest possibilities. And even though these kids are supposed to be schooled in survival methods, you never really see them showing any real muscle or ingenuity in their plan. In fact, most of these kids are just plain whimps. For instance, while trying to figure out a method of quick escape, one child says, "Why don't we pounce on them in their sleep?!", to which another boy replies, "That'd be taking too much of a chance." Even though there are six of these kids, and only two of their assailants (who are nitwits anyway,) these kids are too scared to fight a battle that they have a good chance of winning! What is the meaning of wilderness survival in the first place?! You'd think that these kids oghta be painting their faces in the mud and carving darts out of nearby fallen trees, but instead, they are playing around with bags of Poison Oak and smoke-screens. This film doesn't depict survival as it truly is, and is a ridiculous patronization of even the PG age group. And because they are too passive and weak to take any initiative, it's hard to feel sympathy for them. Even though the kids are whimps and the captors are nitwits who couldn't even execute a hostage situation properly, the film does have some bright spots, and I am glad I watched it. It's a fun movie when analyzed for its comedy value, and it can be downright suspenseful at times. But in my opinion, if you're looking for a funny survival film, you would be better off watching Daniel Stern's "Bushwhacked."
Good kids movie with moral background
samg26 April 2002
Movie left me feeling that the accomplishments of anyone can affect everyone. Not a bad thing to teach our kids. Some critics will naysay this film, saying that it is childish and puerile. True, but it wasn't made for adults. 'Nuff said.
Why good actors are given mediocre parts.
di-mel-130 May 2008
This man (mr. Schuch) is definitely out of character - ALL the time!
He is well known in his hometown, The same town of Orson Wells, Don Ameche and more His humour is almost legendary as well as his compassion. And ACT, he can do this out brown paper bag. In costume he changes and then he changes back.
But it seems that every time we see he is going to have that one chance - then snap- there goes the cutting room floor.
I pray someday Christopher Guest sees him and make a movie just for him. For those of you unfamiliar - you are on IMDb - they have it all
He is just like Mr. Guest in every way.
He is well known in his hometown, The same town of Orson Wells, Don Ameche and more His humour is almost legendary as well as his compassion. And ACT, he can do this out brown paper bag. In costume he changes and then he changes back.
But it seems that every time we see he is going to have that one chance - then snap- there goes the cutting room floor.
I pray someday Christopher Guest sees him and make a movie just for him. For those of you unfamiliar - you are on IMDb - they have it all
He is just like Mr. Guest in every way.
Good Movie For Families
555227 May 2002
This movie probably won't win any awards for acting of script but it is an excellent movie for parents to watch with their kids. It is very clean and has has a moral lesson to it. The plot is predictable but I found myself pulling for the little hero in his battle with the bad guys. This movie won't embarras you with offensive language and sexual themes. Put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and get ready for a couple of quality hours with your kids or grandkids rooting on One Small Hero.
Hmm...
MovieLover1030 September 2004
I'm not sure what to say about this movie. I don't want to trash it but I don't want to go ahead and tell you this is an awesome movie. So I guess I'll tell you that it was probably the worst camp movie ever made! Sorry if it sounds like I'm trashing the movie but It's the truth! This movie just didn't have that camp feel to it. I watched this On Demand but I still couldn't get myself to stop it. The actors were convincing and had nice touches like the "I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves"song and the clapping games! I wonder how old those kids were because they did a nice job even though they aren't stars now or have done anything else besides this movie. This movie would make a great sequel because #1,It has an ending made for a sequel and #2,You never know,the sequel might be better than the original!
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