A fantastic musical film about a bloodthirsty plant that gets its owner to keep feeding it, Little Shop Of Horrors features a great cast and is packed with earworms.
When Little Shop Of Horrors was first released on VHS tape, my friends and I were obsessed with it. We planned a performance of our own, watched the film scene by scene, each scribbling down every word of the script, and rehearsed at length. We never ended up putting on a show, of course, but we had big dreams about turning a football into a baby Audrey II.
Little Shop Of Horrors is about Seymour Krelborn, a man who works and lives in his boss’s flower shop, and is secretly in love with another employee, Audrey, who is in an abusive relationship. When he happens upon a strange and unusual plant one day, he purchases it, names it Audrey II, and it becomes the star of the plant shop, bringing in lots of new business. Unfortunately, it doesn’t eat plant food, and Seymour is tasked with keeping it fed with fresh blood.
This is such a wonderful movie, and it never gets old. I have watched it hundreds of times, and I still laugh and sing along, enjoying every minute.
Everyone is “in on the joke” in this film. There is a silliness and/or a sweetness about every character in their own endearing way, and the film itself incorporates a multitude of quirky choices, down to the animated bird that flies in during “Somewhere That’s Green,” the humongous wet mouth that the camera films through at the dentist’s office, or character lines like, “If you two kids would just stop singing for a moment.”
This film is based on a play of the same name, and while they have a lot in common, there are songs that differ, the addition of a masochist (a hilarious Bill Murray) to the film, and the ending has completely changed. Director Frank Oz (the voice of Yoda, Miss Piggy, and Fozzie Bear) shot the darker ending that you see on the stage, but audiences didn’t like it. They wanted something happier – they wanted Seymour to win – so he shot that ending instead, and it is what the studio went with. You can find the original play-like ending on YouTube, though.
Ellen Greene, who plays Audrey in this film, also originated the role on Broadway. She has made a career out of this role, having just played her a few years ago with Jake Gyllenhaal as Seymour, and she is phenomenal in the part. Rick Moranis is the lovable schlub Seymour, and Steve Martin plays Audrey’s boyfriend. These three made their roles timeless, and when I think of any of them, these are the parts that come to mind.
There are also some other notable actors that show up for short stints in addition to Murray, including Christopher Guest (The Princess Bride’s Six-Fingered Man), Jim Belushi (According To Jim), Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter’s Professor Sprout), John Candy (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), and the three Urchins – who are a Greek chorus of sorts – Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, and Michelle Weeks.
With a tough-talking plant, a dozen catchy songs like “Skid Row” and “Suddenly Seymour,” a funny and engaging script, and some very entertaining camera choices, Little Shop Of Horrors is a movie that you may find yourself coming back to when you need a little pick-me-up. I always do!
Runtime: 93 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: PG-13
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes, definitely
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Tubi, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
When Little Shop Of Horrors was first released on VHS tape, my friends and I were obsessed with it. We planned a performance of our own, watched the film scene by scene, each scribbling down every word of the script, and rehearsed at length. We never ended up putting on a show, of course, but we had big dreams about turning a football into a baby Audrey II.
