Little Red Riding Hood

This is a really cute production, mostly because the entire cast looks as though they're about to burst into laughter at any second. Mary Steenburgen, obviously too old for the role of a child is having the time of her life being cute and innocent. Malcom McDowell totally steals the show as the wolf. He isn't trying to be scary, he's just totally enjoying himself. The casting itself was of course an inside joke - with Mary Steenburgen delivering the lines "Granny, what big eyes you have" to then-husband McDowell must have been a riot for the two. That whole climatic scene where (I don't think I'm giving anything away) the Wolf devours Little Red Riding Hood is fabulous. It can be scary to little kids, but Steenburgen and McDowell are so obviously overacting that it's hilarious. The two are just too cute. The other actors are also all spending their time making their characters as comic and ridiculous as possible. This tale is extremely cliche, and the director as well as all the actors know it. Everyone is intentionally overacting, which is so much fun to watch.