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Monkey Trouble
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Wikipedia article
'Monkey Trouble' is a 1994 American comedy drama film directed by Franco Amurri and starring Thora Birch and Harvey Keitel.
Plot
In Los Angeles, middle school student Eva Gregory (Thora Birch) longs for a pet dog but faces objections from her family members: her mother Amy (Mimi Rogers) believes she isn't responsible enough and her stepfather Tom (Christopher McDonald), a police lieutenant, is allergic to fur. She also can't keep a pet at her biological father, Peter's house due to his job being a pilot and often traveling. Tom's daughter Tessa (Alison Elliott) occasionally babysits Eva and her toddler brother Jack (Adrian and Julian Johnson).
A gypsy kleptomaniac vagabond Azro (Harvey Keitel), whose wife and son Mark (Adam LaVorgna) recently left him, lives off the grid with his intelligent Capuchin monkey Fingers (Finster). Working as a hurdy gurdy-playing busker at Venice Beach, Azro uses Fingers' cuteness as a way to lure in tourists and pickpocket them. A pair of Italian mafia members named Drake (Robert Miranda) and Charlie (Victor Argo) show up to Azro's act. They deduce Azro's scheme and proposition him with bigger & better opportunities. They ask him to join their crime syndicate, with Fingers using his pickpocket skills to burglarize homes of socialites. The men want to do a test run to see how Fingers will act and they drive to a random residence which just happens to be Eva's home. Fingers successfully steals various expensive items and Azro joins the crime group. Angered by memories of his abandonment, Azro often blames Fingers for his wife and son leaving, which leads Fingers to run away from home.
The next day as Eva is walking home from school, Fingers drops from a tree and latches himself onto Eva. She instantly becomes connected to him, and names him "Dodger", as he likes Eva's Dodgers baseball hat. Eva keeps the monkey a secret and hides him in her bedroom. She becomes more responsible with her chores and helps take care of her infant brother Jack, to whom she reveals Dodger. She researches information on his breed. When Eva has to leave for school, she leaves him in the care of a pet store businesswoman named Annie (Jo Champa). Eva fibs that the monkey is a present for her mother. Meanwhile, Tom finds himself sneezing frequently, and initially thinks it's a cold, but assumes it to be a rat problem in their apartment. Azro tries to find the monkey and the Italian mafia members consistently pester him over this.
Eva spends some weekends with her father and worries about how she can hide Dodger while she's away. However, Peter leaves a phone message that he's in Canada and can't have her over. She takes advantage of this circumstance to have a personal weekend alone with Dodger at her dad's empty house, and hides his message from her mother and stepfather. She has her best friend Katie(Remy Rya)), and Katie's mother Missy (Deborah White), drive her to her dad's house. During the trip, Eva secretly reveals Dodger to Katie. Once at her destination, Eva realizes that she doesn't have a key to her dad's house; Dodger breaks into the home and opens the door. When they discover that there is no food inside and Eva has not brought any money, the latter decides to busk for earnings with Dodger at Venice Beach boardwalk near Peter's house. While Eva is riding her bike to the boardwalk, Dodger and Azro spot each other, and without Eva being aware, Dodger jumps off her bike, leading to a chase between him and Azro. As Dodger then secretly makes his way back to Eva's bike, Azro is caught by the mafia members who take him away from the scene. Dodger and Eva start their performance with the former secretly pickpocketing everybody just as with when he was with Azro.
At a grocery store that evening, with Dodger hiding in Eva's backpack, he steals and hides food without Eva knowing. The management of the store, unaware there is a monkey in her backpack, assume Eva is shoplifting, but allows her to return the items without being punished. Eva is puzzled, opens her backpack in a back aisle of the store, and sees the items Dodger stole. When she returns home, she scolds him, and finds more of the stolen items. Now realizing that he was taught how to pickpocket and break into buildings, Eva trains him to quit stealing.
Azro finds out about the supermarket incident, and a store manager gives him Peter's address. Eva is now preparing to return home and calls a taxi when Azro unexpectedly arrives at the house, frightening both Eva and Dodger. The duo escape the house and disconnect Azro's mobile home from his pickup truck just as the taxi arrives and they escape unharmed. Upon arrival home, Tom notices a stolen broach near Eva's foot, but Eva denies any knowledge of it, and withdraws to her room, after Tom mentions a baseball game, where the Dodgers are playing the Pirates. The next day, Azro finds out Dodger is at Annie's pet shop. Azro attacks Annie and steals Dodger back. Azro is aghast when he discovers that the monkey won't steal anymore during a meeting with the mafia members.
Meanwhile, Amy and Tom, who have been dealing with reports of stolen jewelry, discover more stolen property in Eva's room. They confront her about it and she tries to explain about how her hidden monkey must've been responsible for it, but they don't believe her. Things get worse when Peter stops by and reveals that he had been in Canada all weekend, which reveals that Eva has lied about the visit. Already heartbroken at the disappearance of her beloved pet she is also now upset that no one believes her. She runs away to look for Dodger after Katie calls and tells Eva that Dodger is at the park. Meanwhile, Jack ends up saying his first word, "monkey", revealing to Amy, Peter, and Tom that there really is a monkey in the house and that Eva had been telling the truth. It is revealed her that Dodger escaped from Azro and returned to Eva's room.
At the park, Eva is accosted by Azro, who is furious about her teaching Dodger not to steal and kidnaps her to locate the monkey. Eva's family along with Tom's fellow police officers, begin their search for Eva and discover that Dodger saved her after stealing Tom's gun. As Azro and the mafia are arrested in their attempt to escape, Mark tries taking Dodger back, but fails. Eva proves to her mother that she is responsible and her stepfather reveals that he has overcome his fur allergy, having built up a resistance to it. As Dodger becomes the family pet, Eva brings him and Jack to school days later for a sharing time.
Cast
* Finster as Fingers / Dodger
** Frank Welker Provides Dodger's Vocal Effects
* Thora Birch as Eva Gregory
* Mimi Rogers as Amy Gregory
* Adrian and Julian Johnson as Jack Gregory
* Christopher McDonald as Tom Gregory
* Harvey Keitel as Azro
* Alison Elliott as Tessa
* Remy Ryan as Katie
* Jo Champa as Annie
* Deborah White as Missy
* Adam LaVorgna as Mark
*Robert Miranda as Drake
* Victor Argo as Charlie
* Kevin Scannell as Peter Boylan
* Robert A. Perry as Echo-Man, Himself
Soundtrack
# "Sold for Me" The Aintree Boys
# "Posie" The Aintree Boys
# "Who Gets the Loot" Quo
# "VB Rap" Gee Boyz
# "Girls" Gee Boyz
# "Monkey Shines" Robert J. Walsh
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Year-end lists
* Dishonorable mention John Hurley, 'Staten Island Advance'
Box office
The film performed poorly at the box office. It debuted at number 3 at the American box office, dropping to seventh place the following week.
References
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