As goofy kids comedies go, "Monkey Trouble" isn't the worst . . . but it's pretty darn close.
And you have to wonder about a picture that says the way to persuade your parents to have a change of heart — in this case about allowing a pet in the house — is to lie, deceive and run away.
There is also the very wrongheaded image, at the end of the movie, of a pet monkey wielding a handgun.
Ah, Hollywood.
Most of the way, "Monkey Trouble" is fairly innocent amusement for the small fry, as young, unhappy Thora Birch ("Patriot Games," "Paradise," "All I Want for Christmas") is befriended by a little capuchin monkey, whom she dubs "Dodger."
Hiding the monkey from her mother (Mimi Rogers) and stepfather (Christopher McDonald) — because stepdad is allergic to animal fur — she keeps it in her backpack and feeds and cleans up after it on the sly, a misguided attempt to demonstrate responsibility.
What Birch doesn't know, however, is that the monkey has been trained to pick pockets, steal watches and burglarize homes by an evil Gypsy (Harvey Keitel, playing a very broad stereotype, with so much gold in his teeth it's a wonder he can hold up his head).
So, naturally, the monkey's thievery eventually lands Birch in hot water.
Oh, yeah, did I mention that her stepdad is also a cop?
This is predictable, by-the-numbers stuff, and there aren't enough laughs to make it tolerable for adults. Although, Keitel is always fun to watch, hamming it up and even jumping on a skateboard to chase Birch through a park. Of course, whether Keitel is amusing in the way he intended to be is another matter.
The best aspect of "Monkey Trouble" is the monkey, whose real name is "Finster." He has some genuine personality . . . but he needs a better agent. And maybe some control over the script.
"Monkey Trouble" is rated PG for gunplay and a couple of mild profanities.