Loosely based on a Mark Twain story, AVA'S MAGICAL ADVENTURE is neither magical nor particularly adventurous. A pedestrian slog through the detritus of better kid-flicks, this drab-looking tall tale features a veteran cast who can barely disguise their displeasure at playing stooges for a
pachyderm.
Edwina (Remy Ryan) lives with her hard-working mom, Sarah (Priscilla Barnes), who has a layabout live-in boyfriend, Jeffrey (Patrick Dempsey). The girl becomes fascinated with a visiting carnival. This pocket-size circus needs a cash infusion fast, so its crass ringmaster, Slayton (Timothy
Bottoms), decides to send main attraction Ava to the elephant graveyard and collect a hefty insurance payment. Meanwhile, as the quaint town of Hubble frets about a sluggish economy, an escaped convict named Clayton (Georg Stanford Brown) is approaching the vicinity. Edwina overhears Slayton's
plot and steals Ava from under the noses of the clowns, who are actually ex-cons blackmailed by Slayton to do his bidding. Slayton marshals the media and offers a reward for his oversized meal ticket.
While the entire village scours the countryside for Edwina, the little girl and her big pet make camp with Clayton. The convict reveals he broke out jail to avenge himself on former partner Slayton, who framed him for embezzling circus funds. By the time Edwina and Ava saunter home, the Mayor
(David Landers) is using their disappearance to put Hubble on the map. Slayton grabs Edwina, but Clayton disarms the ringmaster, forcing him to admit the truth about his crimes. With Ava back in her tent, Slayton behind bars, and Edwina returned to a home now free of Jeffrey, happiness reigns once
again in Hubble and under the tiny big top.
Everything about this elephantine caper film feels lethargic. The story line is noticeably padded, and the actors seem to be speaking at a slower than normal speed, as if they couldn't quite bring themselves to spit out the puerile dialogue. The sole exception is Timothy Bottoms, who hams it up
until his comic misanthropy seems more deranged than playful. Edwina's predictable bonding with the escaped convict is unmoving; awkward slapstick sequences, as the Sheriff's deputies cavort like Keystone Kops on Halcion, fail to amuse. It's an indication of the movie's general ineptitude that one
of the title cards reads: "Taking It On The Lamb." leave a comment
