A film by Frank Oz

Little Shop of Horrors is the sort of movie that I did not expect to like when I started watching it. I remember seeing bits and pieces of the movie when I was a child, and to be honest, the talking plant kind of freaked me out. So, while the talking plant is still a little freaky, I was surprised that I actually liked the movie as much as I did. Little Shop of Horrors is a comedy/musical based on a stage play that was based on an older horror movie of the same title. It s also a good movie.

Seymour (Rick Moranis) is a timid, mousy man working at florist s shop for Mr Mushnik (Vincent Gardenia). He is afraid to speak up or really express his feelings for his co-worker, Audrey (Ellen Greene). We see in a flashback how Seymour acquires a peculiar plant which he calls Audrey II (voiced by Levi Stubbs from the Four Tops) and puts it in the front window of the store. Immediately business picks up and this plant becomes a huge attraction. Seymour takes care of the plant, feeding it with his own blood (from his fingers), it is the only thing the plant will eat. When it grows it begins to speak and the first thing it says is feed me, Seymour . Audrey II wants to eat the plant wants flesh and blood. Seymour doesn t want to kill anyone to feed Audrey II, but the plant is insistent. It isn t until Seymour sees how Audrey s boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Steve Martin), a dentist, treats her that he begins to think that he can feed Audrey II. As the movie continues, Audrey II gains more and more media attention and Seymour is invited on talk shows and is on the cover of magazines but he is still dealing with the fact that Audrey II needs to keep feeding.

This is a strange premise for a movie, and it is, in fact, a strange movie. The songs are quite good and well sung (I m partial to Suddenly Seymour ), and this is a fun movie. It is different than perhaps every other musical out there, but if you want a good movie about a talking plant that eats people, this is your film. If you just want a good musical, this is still your film. It has a strange subject, but give it a chance. It ll grow on you. Pun intended.

Oh...let's say....4 out of 5 pugs.