Where to watch Clifford
1 1/2 Stars
In this dark comedy, a mischievous ten-year-old boy named Clifford is sent to his Uncle Martin’s for the weekend to get out of his father’s hair. It turns out he has a dying obsession to go to Dinosaur World, a theme park near Martin’s house and nothing will get in his way to get there.
On an infamous episode of Siskel and Ebert, co-host Gene Siskel gave a scathing and quite amusing review of Clifford. He stated that he had taken his kids and a group of their friends to a screening of the movie. Siskel then apologized to the children and chuckled, saying that they would always remember who took them to see the worst movie ever made. Clifford is most certainly not the worst film; it’s not even the worst film of 1994. The film is an arduous and largely unamusing experience that shows signs of a wildly misconceived development process.
Clifford is a second cousin to the Problem Child movies. Unfortunately, Clifford isn’t as funny or clever as those John Ritter-fronted films. It does the unthinkable by rendering both Martin Short and Charles Grodin into obnoxious bores. Neither man has a character to work with, and both actors turn in one-note performances.
Who was this movie intended for? Clifford is a mean-spirited movie that contains the era’s least likeable screen character. It serves as a curiosity piece for adventurous and undemanding viewers. Clifford has cult-film appeal, but to this day, it’s never found an audience.
Directed by: Paul Flaherty
Written by: William Porter, Steven Kampmann
Starring: Martin Short, Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen