In “Little Monsters” (2019), failed musician Dave (Alexander England) gets more than he bargained for when he volunteers to assist Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o) in escorting her kindergarten class on a field trip to a farm. Dave does this only in hopes of seducing the teacher but instead, the two find themselves fighting off a sudden zombie outbreak in a desperate attempt to escape the overrun farm without the children coming to harm. From its opening montage, featuring the collapse of Dave’s relationship to the tune of chirpy background music, “Little Monsters” sweeps the audience with its oddball energy. This eccentric quality propels the film forward, despite some of its more questionable quirks.
Director and writer Abe Forsythe takes a crude approach to humour here that can be very hit-or-miss. Much of the film’s comedy relies on juxtaposition from putting children in outlandish or inappropriate situations and although these moments do earn a laugh or two from their shock value, they do so with rapidly diminishing returns. While there are sparks of wit, at times the humour feels cheap and even borderline distasteful. Surprisingly, the film also boasts some strong tender moments and moments, and it is at these points when the film is at its most wholesome that it connects and lands the most earnest reaction. Unfortunately, the film only takes advantage of this towards the final act. These tonal shifts are in sync with the character development of protagonist Dave over the course of the film, from puerile man-child to well-rounded adult.
Petulant and impulsive, Dave is the source of much of the film’s crassness. Initially, the character shows all the traits of someone you wouldn’t want to charge with the safety of a child (zombie apocalypse or not). Alexander England embodies this excellently. In fact, the character is dislikeable to the point of being only marginally redeemable by the end of his journey.
The cast also features Josh Gad as buoyant children’s entertainer Teddy McGiggle, who’s playful and peppy façade evaporates the second things go south. What’s left is a foul-mouthed coward, bent only on self-preservation at the cost of anything or anyone. Importantly, he also makes Dave seem slightly less appalling by comparison. Teddy’s cynical presence contrasts well with the naivety of the children, paying off with some memorable exchanges when he purposefully undermines Miss Caroline’s efforts to keep the kids calm. Although, again, this runs dry pretty fast and the character isn’t given much else to contribute. The clear standout is Lupita Nyong’o, conjuring charisma in spades as Miss Caroline, who instinctively takes charge in managing the dire situation. It becomes painfully clear that the film may have missed a trick by not following her character as the lead.
Alexander England in a scene from “Little Monsters” (Screen Australia, 2019).
In spite of all the zestful performances, the film still manages to drag for certain stretches. Part of this may be down to how far the film leans into comedy over horror (even with the perilous predicament that the characters find themselves in) without adding any other dramatic stakes to invest in. The story is a vehicle for Dave’s overdue maturation from oversized juvenile to competent and responsible adult. Normally, this would be enough, but your investment will depend greatly on whether you can click with the grating hero and the repetitive edgy jokes before either grow tiresome. It is difficult to care about Dave in the first place, and so it becomes a tough ask to stick around for his personal journey alone when the humour doesn’t always land.
“Little Monsters” is brash and irreverent but still not self-aware enough to recognise where its greatest strengths lie. In doing so, the film puts too many of its eggs in the wrong basket and misses out on meeting the potential held by its parts. The dark comedy forms a big part of the film’s identity, but this is largely just different variations of the same gag. Although this grows stale too quickly to carry the film alone, the scattered rays of warmth that shine through its vulgar surface help to round things out. Whilst it is by no means essential viewing, “Little Monsters” wears its silliness on its sleeve and is a bright diversion, offering feel-good zombie fun. Besides, how many other films feature a ukulele-wielding Lupita Nyong’o serenading kids to Taylor Swift? As of writing, I’m afraid far too few.
