In the 1990s, it seems like every major movie studio in Hollywood, was making remakes of classic adventures TV shows about neighborhood kids from mid-1930s to the late 1960s. Some of them, were minor hits; others were horrible retellings like 1993's 'Dennis the Menace'. However, the majority of them, fall between all-time best great & super awful. 1994's 'Little Rascals' is one, such mediocre film. The movie directed by Penelope Spheeris was a little too bog down on nostalgia; that it felt like a series of various sketches, oddly cobbled together, in a paper-thin set up about Spanky McFarland (Travis Tedford) trying to sabotage, one of his members, Alfalfa Switzer (Bug Hall)'s relationship with Darla Hood (Brittany Ashton Holmes), in order to get him, focus back on track, on winning the local go-cart derby race. It just doesn't mesh well. Plus, all of the sketches really does slow the pacing of the movie, down. A good example is all the scenes of the gang trying to make money, in order to rebuild their burn down clubhouse like the bank & freak-show scenes. None of those sequences were really that funny, nor makes any of much sense with the main plot; seeing how the gang have enough material to build another go-cart, yet not enough for a clubhouse. Honestly, the driving force of the plot could had been simple down to the idea, that the race had a prize money, all-along. It would save the movie, a lot of time. Also, as much as I love the ballet & soap singing scenes, those moments weren't really needed. It does feel a bit forced. It could had been cut, if Universal really wanted it, like they did with their VHS & DVD releases; when it came down to other scenes. Many of these versions, are so unlike the original movie, we saw in theaters. However, most of them, works better in watchable. Don't get me wrong, I do like seeing the familiar of sight gags and slapstick situations, taken straight from the original series of comedy short films produced by Hal Roach from 1922 to 1944, even if its bit sexism & anti-homosexual. However, I do wish they add more uniqueness with them. Some of the humor seem a bit repetitive, recycled & outdated. Even, when they did try something new, like updating the source material to a modern setting background. It still came across as somewhat jarring, because how the children is dressed in 1930s style of clothing. If anything, the movie should had, kept the 1930s settlings, just add new jokes to counteract, scenes, mirroring shorts like 1937's 'Hearts are Thumps & 1939's 'Auto Antics'. Furthermore, the movie should add more scenes of the children acting like themselves, rather than imitating adult. Lots of the big wordy dialogue given here, sounds so unnatural, coming from the mouth of a small child. I kinda wish, the movie gave them, simpler sentences to speak. This film really lacks the raw nuances of child performers acting like real children. Nevertheless, not all things, about this film, were bad. I do like how the cast is more integrated and less racist than the original. Also, the main actors were not that bad. Bug Hall & Travis Tedford were born for these roles. There are also some great cameos from Reba McEntire, Mel Brooks, and Lea Thompson to name a few. Even the sight of future president, Donald Trump wasn't that bad. Nevertheless, I would love to see, more cameos from past 'Little Rascals' alumnus, like Jackie Cooper, Eugene Jackson & Robert Blake in minor roles in this film. Sadly, this movie was lacking some of those. However, the movie makes it up with action set pieces with great stunt work. The Go-Kart race was somewhat compelling to watch, even if it's a bit over the top. Also, the soundtrack by composer, William Ross that goes with it, and most of the movie, really does seem like it came from yesteryear. It's beautiful to listen to. In short, while, 1994's 'Little Rascals' will never outdo the original short films from the 1930s/1940s. It does beat 1936's 'General Spanky' & 2014's 'The Little Rascals Save the Day' in being a better 'Our Gang' film. Overall: Watching a kid movie like this is like watching a blender without a lid. It's messy, but it's cool to witness. I highly recommended seeing the film. I kid you not.
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helpless_dancer18 October 2000I laughed my head off at these ill behaved little rapscallions. However, in the real world I would have cheerfully kicked their rascally little butts. Nothing realistic about the behavior of these kids at all, but I don't think that was intended. Lots of zany antics [some re-done from the old shorts from years back] and many belly laughs left me feeling good after the film was over. Thumbs up.
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frosty-4443113 February 2021One of the earliest childhood films I remember and it takes me back every time I watch it.
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jay5020 August 2003I can not believe some of the peoples comments about this movie being stupid. What did you expect from a kids movie, to come out of it feeling inspired? No, it's just a happy-go-lucky kids movie which i can proudly say i have watched over and over again to this day! And one user commented 'How do the kids expect to marry women in the future, with a Woman Haters club' ? Oh my god, get over yourself! Although i haven't seen the original to this, i can praise this version as a feel good film.
The basic plot is about Spanky and Alfalfa, childhood friends, who have a group called the 'He-man Women Haters club' with their other pals Porky, Buckwheat, Froggy and so on. Though Secretly, Alfalfa loves girls and has a girlfriend,Darla, who he one day has lunch with in the Boys club! When the boys find out Alfalfa lied, they ruin his lunch with Darla (Kitty Litter sandwiches and so-called grape juice!). Unfortunately and accidentally, the clubhouse burns on fire, and the boys must enter a go kart race to win money to fund repairs for their clubhouse! An excellent movie whatever other people say! 9/10 and im sticking to it! -
The Little Rascals was a big household in my family when I was a kid and having not seen it in years I decided to watch it again.
The story is about a gang of little boys who own a no girls allowed house and love playing mischief. However one of the little boys Alfonso is madly in love with Daryla and would do anything to win her over. Will he get her back? Overall it's a real guilty pleasure movie. Sure it's silly and for a cast that is made up of 6 year olds or less they were actually both cute and hilarious. If you've got kids and you enjoy them acting like grown ups then check it out.
Keep an eye out for Back To The Future's Lea Thompson as a Ballet dancer,Daryl Hannah as Mrs Crabtree and Rebel McEntre. -
The Little Rascals (1994) is a movie that I recently watched for the first time in a long with with my daughter on Tubi. The storyline follows our favorite group of neighborhood boys who are in a girl hating club...except one member, Alfalfa, whom loves Darla. The boys will make like for Alfalfa tough unless he can convince them to each their own, and they can be friends despite their differences.
This movie is directed by Penelope Spheeris (Suburbia) and stars Bug Hall (Baby Driver), Brittany Ashton Holmes (Humanoids from the Deep), Courtland Mead (The Shining), Mel Brooks (Spaceballs), Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple) and Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill).
These characters are brilliantly depicted and wonderfully capture their own magic while staying true to the feel of the original series. The characters are so entertaining that you wish the movie would never end. The acting was first rate and the props, attire and makeup were all perfect. I adored Froggy's voice and the dog was great from beginning to end. The dialogue is hilarious and the boys versus girl concept worked perfectly. The conclusion was brilliant for this genre.
Overall, this is an underrated family gem that is an absolute must see. I would score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it. -
TOMNEL9 September 2011Films and television shows that are trying to be cute to gain laughs can be quite irritating. They often rely on the audience gaining some sort of emotional investment out of seeing an adorable baby character, or young toddler, that says lines that no young kid would say, and the usual reaction is "Aaawwww!" (Full House did this for years). These types of cinema have no reason for existence, and usually try to serve as cheap entertainment that families can enjoy together. This movie is chalk full of little children doing things children would never do, no doubt with the director feeding them lines that they don't understand because they can't read yet. But, where this film is different is it's set up. The universe that these "little rascals" live in isn't the one we live in. It's some kind of parallel universe where children own their own cars and have very elaborate clubhouses, and where very young children go on romantic dates. And never once is this particularly corny. What could be a by the numbers movie turns out to be a sort of charming little movie that is fun and funny in a surreal way.
Little Alfalfa (Bug Hall) is in a group of girl-hating little boys, and they find out about his upcoming romantic date with Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes), and they sabotage him. Meanwhile a new rich kid Waldo (Blake Ewing) has just moved in and Darla finds him quite appealing, so Alfalfa is down in the dumps. Hopefully the up-coming go-cart race is a chance for Alfalfa to get his lady back, in addition to beat Waldo, and bond with his child pal Spanky (Travis Tedford).
This kids in this movie are actually all really good actors, and that's one thing that makes this movie work. Bug Hall is one of the better young actors out there, and all the ridiculous silly lines that the kids say (though kids clearly wouldn't say in real life) are said with enough conviction, yet with a clear wink from the director and writer(s). The kids say their lines well, but with a slightly over the top script, and the mixture comes off as pretty funny.
The film runs at a brisk pace, with enough jokes to make up for it's overall lack of plot. The sets would have to be pretty cool looking to a child (at least they were to me!). The clubhouse that the kids built is designed to look like it was built by kids, but at the same time, it's so surreally elaborate. And this movie has plenty of surrealism and absurdest humor. Things will happen that make very little sense, but come off as hilarious because of how ridiculous the situation is. In one scene during the big race at the end, giant daggers come out of a kid's car and start stabbing another car. It's so ridiculous, but in the context of the movie, it comes off as normal in this universe, and jokes like this that might normally seem very over the top, play off quite well. If anything was unnecessary here, it was the numerous cameos that usually show up for no reason at all. A few of them were funny, but most of them seemed somewhat forced. Kids probably won't know who most of these people are anyways, so they won't understand that these are cameos.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable family film, with good performances (from kids no less), and a lot of really silly jokes that hit the mark. In an average episode of Full House, I probably cringe about 10 times, but in this much longer film featuring even more kids including cameos by the Olsen Twins, there was not one moment of cringing. It's actually pretty fun.
My rating: *** out of ****. 82 mins. PG for some rude humor. -
When I was little, I liked this movie. I had only seen a few of the original Our Gang (Little Rascals) shorts and I didn't really know the difference between them. I watched this movie again recently and, I must say, it was horrible. I am sort of obsessed with the original Our Gangs, and this movie was nothing compared to them. A lot of people have said "The acting wasn't that great, but what can you expect, they're kids?" I say, they found kids for the originals that were genius actors, so why couldn't they find any for the movie? Also, why did they mix together all the different time periods? Mary Ann Jackson (the little girl with the bobbed dark brown hair) left the shorts long before Porky ever joined them and they were both in the movie. There were some good moments in the movie, like when Spanky's wig got pulled off by a tree, but the horrible acting and the way they messed with basically the whole idea of Our Gang overshadows the good moments. And now, when I mention in casual conversation that I like the Little Rascals, inevitably, someone will say "Oh, yeah, I liked that movie too!" and start singing "I've got a pickle, I've got a pickle!" or something similar. I'm being generous and giving the movie four out of ten stars because I liked it when I was little. I know I've gone on a long nasty rant, but that's really what I think about the movie. Also, I'm not sure if this has any spoilers, but I didn't want to be blacklisted, so I put the notice in, just to be sure.
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UniqueParticle5 April 2019Such a sweet kids' feel-good cute flick, love all the characters and the wonderful fun things the kids do throughout. It's so adorable and to me barely much wrong with it just a delightful experience for adults and kids alike..
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Jamiec52316 September 2009To this day I can still remember seeing this film for the first time. I was about 7 and I thought it was so great. I am now nearly 21 and I still love this film. The casting is great and the acting was great for kids that young. The story was surprisingly well done as well! Probably adults won't enjoy this film as much but I think a good amount will. I definitely think kids will enjoy this film more then adults but as I said I am now an adult and I still am grateful to own this movie.
I rate is 7/10 because there were some points in this film that were a bit unrealistic and a bit too silly. However I still think this film is great
7/10 -
Smells_Like_Cheese14 May 2004This movie is a legend in my neighborhood. Because one of the kids from my old school in my grade was one of the bullies. So, my classroom had to watch this. We were all wondering what he had been up too. This is the most exciting thing ever to happened in my neighborhood. Sad, isn't it? The movie "The Little Rascals" is adorable. But it lacks somewhere. The kids are all brats. I don't think I was even able to really enjoy the cameos. But this is more of a kid's film. Not a movie you'd watch as a grown up. But congats to Zac, he made it... somewhat. And the movie is enjoyable if you are 7. Otherwise, you'd might want to skip it.
5/10 -
thefan-227 May 1999Imagine a group of kids from the 1930s somehow inhabiting a modern city. This movie made me and my kids so happy that we went back to see it again the next day and bought the video when it came out. Its theatrical run didn't last very long, so most people never saw it. Give it a try, especially if you're a kid or have kids of your own.
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trixie-k-8816 October 2012Ah, the 90's remake of the Hal Roach shorts from the Great Depression. I liked this movie as a child and most other kids I knew enjoyed it too. But as an adult I feel differently about it.
Spanky (Travis Tedford) and his best friend Alfalfa (Bug Hall) are the founders of the He-Man-Woman-Haters Club, a club of little boys who get together and do "boy" things without girls. But when Alfalfa falls in puppy love with a girl named Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes), Spanky and his other friends do everything to sabotage the relationship. And when Alfalfa accidentally burns down their clubhouse the other boys have completely had it with him, and force him to guard their prized go-cart day and night. Meanwhile, Darla has fallen for a new rich boy Waldo (Blake McIver Ewing), but Alfalfa is still determined to get her back. Everything boils down to the local fair when the boys try to win the go-cart derby, raise enough money to rebuild the clubhouse, and mend broken friendships.
This movie is weak. The plot itself isn't that bad, and most children who watch it are entertained, but it's just not good. The overwhelming problem with this film is that none of the kids can act their way out of a paper bag. The fact that none of the kids have been in anything more than a few made for TV or straight to video movies since this proves that. Honestly I found the outtakes of the kids' mistakes funnier than the movie itself. In terms of being based off the original "Little Rascals" shorts, they don't have much to do with them aside from the same looks and names as the originals. That being said it's hard to relate children of the 90s to children of the 20's, 30's and 40's. A lot of the old ones are based on poverty, hunger, and child abuse as a part of their lives, along with other themes that were anachronistic or not applicable to children of the 90's. But they tried to integrate some themes like the go cart derby, Alfalfa singing and the He-Man-Woman-Haters Club. With that all said this is still a movie that would entertain most children under ten, but can quickly get annoying for parents that have to sit through it with them. -
Leofwine_draca8 February 2018An attempt to replicate the success of the 1920s - 1940s film series for modern audiences, THE LITTLE RASCALS is a lamentable enterprise which has completely the wrong look and tone. I admit freely that I didn't laugh a single time. This is merely a badly-acted, over the top production that utilises stupid special effects and child actors with little to no discernable talent. All of the warmth and charisma of the original stars is missing in these cheap imitators. The plot is merely a string of gags ripped off from the original short films, none of which are funny. I suppose most people will only be interested in it today for the Donald Trump cameo. It's a good example of everything that was wrong with 1990s-era Hollywood comedy.
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Amazing , sweet ,little ,funny ,feel good cinema thats what "The Little Rascals " is all about .Quite amazing to see how small kids doing big deeds.The starcast is full of lovely kids and they make this movie a treat for the eyes to watch. The basic foundation of the Heman woman hater club shakes down when one of their member,Alfaalfa, falls for Darla and there it all starts the fight for Darla and the story moves ..... When the movie is over there is something which makes u feel good.Director penelope spheeris completely justifies the subject the movie needed a good screenplay and its brilliant in the movie. Overall a good delightful movie to watch.
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IslandMyst7 January 2020I see both people comparing this film to ones intended for older audiences and people comparing the film to the original 1930s series.
Kids movies, and most movies for that matter, made in the early 90s were not made to be realistic. They were just done for laughs. Does anyone complain about Home Alone being unrealistic with an 8 year old thwarting two armed thugs over and over? No. Possibly because it was a much better movie.
However, to complain that this movies isn't like the 1930s series is also laughable in and of itself. I mean, what would you have them do? Film it in black and white? Reinsert long pauses between lines? Even poorer quality acting? Make it less comprehensible?
Go watch an episode from the 30s, then imagine sitting through that for 110 minutes in the era of online streaming. Forget even that. This movie came out in the era after, Aladdin, Hook, The Lion King, Home Alone, The Sandlot, just to name a few, and people want 1930s style comedy back?
You'd think the original was on par with Game of Thrones for the time it was made the way some people are talking. Not to mention the overt racism. Literally dressing black character 'Buckwheat' who they literally dress up like a clown and talks in incoherent slave speak. Want that back too?
All that said, the original show was meant to be endearing and it is. As is this 1994 remake. I don't like to use the excuse, 'it's made for kids' as an excuse for poor artistry, but at the same time you can't expect something like this to be Citizen Kane. You gotta take it for what it is, and what it is, is still a mediocre guilty pleasure with many funny moments that you can watch in the background and be moderately entertained if you turn your brain off.
If you're looking for a similar film that's much more well done, I would recommend watching the Sandlot. -
saujanya1317 May 2013This movie is a heart warming tale of little children. A boy and a girl likes each other and wants to live together, same like most of the movies about love. They face a rough patch mainly due to the boy being a member of 'girl haters' club. His friends tries to help get the girl out of his life, in which they succeed. But the boy tries to get her back, who falls for a new to town rich guy.
It's the same struggle of a poor guy trying to get back his girl fighting against a rich powerful opponent. As many of the stories most might have seen , the story offers nothing different than most. The only reason to watch this movie might be because it has been performed by bunch of kids, which is very beautifully put forward on screen.
In the end of the story Well known celebrities are shown as the parents of the kids in the story, the facial resemblance gets us to believe they are really their children. -
jmeredith313 December 2011Little Rascals is a movie that is filled with childlike grudges, wars, competition, camaraderie and reconciliation. Every great group has had to overcome obstacles in order to develop and maintain their strength. The He- Man Women Haters Club is filled with tension and animosity towards members between the group and the infamous Darla that snatched the heart of Alfalfa.
Loyalty is very important to the members of the He-Man Woman Haters club. Although Alfalfa is tested and tried throughout the movie by his comrades and his childhood crush; he prevails. Spanky, the best friend of Alfalfa is infuriated by the discreet passions that his friend Alfalfa possesses for the young lady Darla. Throughout the movie, Darla and Alfalfa try to establish a bond, but they are always interrupted, whether it is by pranks of Women's Hater's Club, or rich guys such as Waldo that crept into Darla's life to take away the feelings that she had for Alfalfa.
Often, in the movie the producer showed a great sense of the lack of knowledge or understanding that kids possess and how they often think without speaking. It was funny to see how the kids wanted to meet the race car driver at the end of the championship and to see how they were disgruntled because they expected to see a man. Surprisingly, the person that presented the prize to the Woman Haters Club, was the person that the gang had desired to meet along. The surprise just lied in the fact that the person was a woman and not a man. Not to mention, Spanky's disgust for women was challenged when he asked the female race car driver to give him a kiss on his cheek.
Movies such as Little Rascals are rarities in 2011. Most of the films that we see today are filled with sex, violence, and theft. Even the kids are the ones committing the very acts in the movie, and it is saddening. One of my favorite movies of all time that has a similar prank-like feature assimilated into the film is "Home Alone". The movie Home Alone is filled with pranks and laughter for the entire family and if you enjoyed Little Rascals, you will probably enjoy. Home Alone. -
anaconda-4065825 August 2015The Little Rascals (1994): Dir: Penelope Spheeris / Cast: Bug Hall, Travis Tedford, Brittany Ashton Holmes, Kevin Jamal Woods, Zachary Mabry: Misguided family film about trouble and innocence. It regards a group of children who hang out at a club house with a strict rule against girls. This becomes a problem when one of the members is caught courting a little girl. This is the film's first problem. There might be nostalgia for fans of the classic TV show but for a family film this presents themes that may be above the age group this is aimed at. The relationship between one of the Rascals and the girl comes off somewhat disturbing in terms of dialogue that skirts adult. After the club house burns down they attempt to raise money and the method is a kids race for a cash prize. This might have been the proper angle to present this material. Director Penelope Spheeris is coming off great success with Wayne's World but here she is backed by a production that resembles the classic program but without a screenplay worthy of it. It doesn't even seem nostalgic for those whom may celebrate the popular TV program. The young cast play out their roles with certain appeal but the adult communication is a distraction. Another issue is the lack of parents. There is numerous celebrity cameos supporting the show's popularity but the end result is a bigger mess than anything the rascals conjure up. Score: 4 / 10
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Mike-DD25 August 2000I enjoy movies where kids are the main stars, and except for a few, have always highly rated them. This ranks as one of the better ones I've seen. Though I never had the chance to watch the series, I can imagine how hilarious it must have been judging from the movie. The antics of the group of young boys and girls in their eternal 'war' against one another is uproarious and a delight to watch. Watch how one of the boys try to stay within the girl-hating club while trying to woo a girl at the same time - it'll remind some of us of our childhood just before we enter adolescence. Fact is, I think the parents would probably enjoy this just as much for the same reason - how cute we were before we became 'teen horrors'!!
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capone66620 July 2012The Little Rascals
Kids today are exactly the same as kids 50 years ago. Except the mischief that modern scamps get up today involves bullying others to kill themselves.
And while the tykes in this comedy aren't setting up hate websites, they do enjoy tomfoolery.
The esteemed members of The He-Man Women Haters Club are dumbfounded when one of their own, Alfalfa (Bug Hall), is caught romancing Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes).
Fearful she has bewitched their star go-kart driver, Spanky (Travis Tedford), club president, sends his affiliates, Porky (Zachary Mabry) and Buckwheat (Ross Bagley), to break them up before the big race.
Unfortunately, the new kid in town (Blake McIver Ewing) may beat them to it.
With a capricious script, apt casting and barrels of monkeyshines, this update of the comedy shorts is stupendously goofy.
Incidentally, why are these rascals running wild? Shouldn't they be at home on the couch playing video games? (Yellow Light)
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mark.waltz20 November 2019When the minor characters of Porky and Buckwheat steal the few moments that they're on screen and leave the leading gang members of Spanky and Alfalfa to rip off what was done better 60 years before in ways that will make fans of the original series of shorts cringe. The great thing about the original series is that even when the kids were trying to act like adults, they didn't be anything but kids playacting and being silly. Here, their adult dialog is completely out of place, a fault of the script and not the majority of the cast. But each time that Froggy, Darla and Waldo are on hand, I cringed. Waldo's narcissism makes him instantly dislikable, an irony considering who plays his father in a completely unnecessary and hypocritical cameo.
There is no central plotline other than their desire to create a new go cart after theirs is stolen, with the town bullies chasing Alfalfa and Spanky into a ballet hall where they try to act like Mae West to fool them. It's artificial and tacky. In addition, cameos (some with no dialog) have no real point. Even when the feeling of nostalgia takes over when you hear the iconic theme and see a Petey lookalike, it quickly fades. The dialog is often very inappropriate for children the age of these characters, and that makes this one of the most unnecessary rip-off movies ever made. -
Bbgoll24727 February 2021I don't know how someone could not fall in love with this movie! It's nothing like I've ever seen. And the guest appearances are just an added bonus
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lin3279 July 2008My son is almost 4 years old and has repeatedly watched this movie so many times that he can recite line after line. At first I thought how cute, but then he repeated the note one of Alfalfa's "woman hater" friends read to Darla..."Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes." My son started to recite that out in public. It seemed that many lines in the movie that he picked up to repeat were ones that he shouldn't. "I'm really gonna kick your butt." (With his fist in the air). I don't think I would have gotten this for my 3 year old had I known what would transpire. It is a very cute movie but I'm not sure some of the language is appropriate. I'm not a fan of "woman haters club" either. Live and learn. ps. My son also sings Alfalfa's "You are so Beautiful" song he sings to Darla in the movie. That we liked.
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questl-185923 May 2021Childhood favorite movie for me and the nostalgia vibes are still pretty strong but I don't think anyone needs to go pulling this one out of the vault. It's pretty problematic these days but I still kinda dig it.