Mee-Shee on Showtime in September 2007

"Mee-Shee" will be on Showtime next week. If anyone comes to this board to check it out first, let me say you don't have to have kids to enjoy this movie. Yes, there are two really cute kids with great dads. Yes, Mee-Shee is everything you'd want in a "Puff the Magic Dragon" kind of kid's fantasy companion -- and he (she?) has a big, I mean BIG!, gosh-wow secret revealed at the end.

The supporting characters add a lot: Crazy Norma, Mrs. Coogan the landlady, Laura the ecologist, the assistant good guys. Even Robert Bruce's Scottish accent was a nice ear-treat; he played the oil company president in a 10-second scene.

But I loved the villains. Charles Mesure as Watkins and Joel Tobeck as his henchman/sidekick Mr. Snead reminded me a lot of Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Watkins has a touch of Snidely Whiplash but is much better looking. Their interaction provides a good bit of the humor in the story (besides Crazy Norma, who is a hoot). They humanize their characters so much that when they're gone, you doubt they deserved THAT.

So, if you have kids, watch with them. If not, give it a try anyway.