Yikes! A horrible film to avoid at all costs!

I am deeply saddened by this film. It has none of the whimsy or any of the disconnect from the adult world that the original movie had. None of the authenticity (much of the original film was shot via a hidden strap on camera and filmed from the vantage point of young Joey) and none of the perspective of innocent childhood.

Instead it was a bleak, depressing movie with inappropriate language that would have made a whole platoon of 1950s era sailors cringe. The writing (especially in the parts where it is supposed to be the reflections of Lenny) is morose and none of the principal adult characters are shown to be responsible or caring. While I found the interspersing of the archival footage and the small factoids interesting, the idea that the allegories and musings could be reflections of a 12 year old, was absurd. Putting mature observations into the mouths of pre teens is lazy writing.

SPOILER ALERT; In the 1953 film by Morris Engel, young Joey (much like a lot of American boys of that era) was into cowboys, pistols and horses. When later in the film, Joey is awestruck by the pony ride; he sits for the longest time before he ventures onto the pony and rides it countless times. It's not until much later when he returns that the ride operator takes notice that he might be a runaway and tricks Joey into giving his address and phones the house, to the relief of his older brother Lenny. In the remake, the ride operator seems to catch notice of the young Joey right off the bat as someone alone. He eventually takes the boy under the boardwalk and nearly is successful in sexual advances. The remake took what was a memorable, joyful moment from the 53 version and turned the character into a pedophile. The only somewhat responsible adult (the older hippish woman) doesn't even bother to investigate where Joey has come from.

The original movie captured a moment in time not only of a bygone era in the life of Coney Island, but of the world of a six year old. The remake on the other hand, is the sad reflection of writers and film makers who chose to wallow in the pity well of cynical 21st century adulthood.

I own the 1953 version and after watching the remake, I had to watch the original just to purge this god awful remake out of my system.

Rating for Little Fugitive (2006), 1 out of 5 stars.