Rating: ***
Review Date: 4/6/10
Cast: Warwick Davis, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Holton
Wow... Dan O'Grady thinks he has it made when he steals a pot of gold from a leprechaun (creepy Warwick Davis) and moves to North Dakota. But this leprechaun is a mean and devilish trickster, and he wants his gold back! O'Grady manages to hide the gold and seal the leprechaun away in his basement, which means it's only a matter of time until the new owners of the house unwittingly release him. One of the new residents is Tory (a young Jennifer Aniston), a displaced spoiled brat from Southern California who wants nothing more than to move back to Beverly Hills. That is, until she meets a handsome and hunky house painter who dares her to stay. One of the other painters finds O'Grady's hidden gold, and pretty soon the leprechaun is terrorizing the entire town trying to get it back. Tory and her newfound friends manage to defeat the creepy little dude, but he'll be back for at least four increasingly ridiculous sequels.
First of all, Jennifer Aniston is simply and undeniably adorable, and she's even more adorable in her cute L.A. Gear high-tops. She even gets to carry a shotgun at one point, much to my excitement and pleasure. But perhaps the most amazing thing about her in this movie is how she channels Jennifer Connelly's eyebrows. Incredible. Anyway, apart from Ms. Aniston, the real star is Warwick Davis, who tears through the movie with wicked glee. The film's presentation is light-hearted and super cheezy, relying more on goofiness than horror and gore. More than anything, its execution reminded me of "Troll" (1986) and is just as enjoyable. The film knows that it's silly and it revels in its silliness. Davis understands this and gives an appropriately over-the-top performance. Not a film to be taken seriously, but rather one to just sit back and enjoy with the company of friends.