Bugsy Malone (1976)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Bugsy Malone is a cutesy, fun and nostalgic film fit for family viewing,It will undoubtedly encourage kids to engage in imaginative roleplay (cop v. gangster, gangster v. gangster, broadway performer etc) and put down their electronic gadgets! The costumes and sets were excellent, very visually stimulating and so far as I can tell they were authentic to the time period (late 20's, early 30's). Even the phrases and dialogues were well done. The lip syncing left much to be desired. It was painfully clear that the performers weren't actually singing their songs. The songs stood on their on as great, and choreography was pretty well on point. I don't normally enjoy musicals but this one was so nicely put together that I found myself really engaged in the story, even though it was ridiculous/goofy. This one is suitable for all ages. There's no actual violence, no cursing, no sexual reference (the "worst" was a kiss on the forehead, and dancers wearing tight, swimsuit-like costumes), and the storyline is easily followed.

An absolute timeless classic.... never gets boring and now loved by my own children too

Looks like a recording of an end term school play, held at a posh school with filthy rich parents. The only thing I liked were the dances which were the only rehearsed parts of the whole set-up and the pedal cars and costumes. The acting was really badly timed, badly spoken, ham expressions and adult posturing of the most nauseating kind. Jodie Foster has an impressive stage presence but her performance deteriorated by the minute. Lip synching by adult voices was the most destructive idea which scuppered the whole project! Throwing custard pies was funny in the times of silent black and white movies. It was already beyond stale at the time the movie was made. Alan Parker - curl up and die.

I think what impresses me the most about this film is that it's actually an incredibly accurate spoof -- I'm not sure 'spoof' is even the right term: homage, perhaps -- of its source material, the gangster movies of the 1920s/1930s. And I mean that seriously. Compared to, say, the recent "Public Enemies" (2009), this is actually a far more accurate reproduction of the 'look' of the era, on film if not in real life. Hairstyles, dancing (in fact, given the adolescent figures in vogue at the time, those stage routines could easily pass for the real thing), and shot after shot, stylistically speaking, which pays homage to famous films. The plot is a joyous accumulation of just about every gangster cliché going (from the hot-towel episode at the barber's onwards) and all the locations are spot-on: the warehouse down by the docks, the drugstore, the leader's grand mansion, the speakeasy, the theatre (and the dressing-rooms), etc. About the only one we don't get, come to think of it, is the police sergeant's office...I also enjoyed the songs (in fact, that was what attracted my attention to the film in the first place), although the bluesy ballads are, as Fat Sam says, a bit 'modern' for my taste. My only real problem with the film was an inevitable concomitant of the all-child cast: the piping voices are often quite difficult to understand.But the film as a whole is a tremendous romp that treats its source material with great affection and yet a total lack of awe. Various plot strands exist only so far as necessary in order to lead up to the associated songs (poor Fizzy never does get to dance, does he?), but nonetheless I thoroughly enjoyed it. An off-beat one-off.