See more movie reviews

The Little Rascals (1994) (PG, 1994)

common sense media says

Madcap, mischievous Our Gang remake.

parents & educators say
See all 10 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this remake of the 1930s classic espouses some of the same prejudices as the original, relying on some "girls are gross" and anti-gay humor. The good news here is that the cast is integrated and it's less racist than the original. But there are things that would scare younger children, including thunder and a large Doberman that jumps on Alfalfa, knocking him over. The clubhouse catches fire and the kids put it out by themselves. Alfalfa drinks dish soap and bubbles come out when he sings -- parents may want to warn kids that this prank won't work as advertised.

Positive messages: Darla and her friends are very sexualized; everything is about love instead of being regular little girls. The gang is very girl-hating at the beginning of the film. There's also some gay-baiting jokes, including a segment where Spanky, dressed up as a girl in order to hide from Woim and Butch, flirts with the bullies. When he's revealed, the guys chase after him, calling him an "ugly little freak." When he goes into a Boys Club for protection, he's rejected.
Violence & scariness: Butch and Woim threaten to beat up Alfalfa and Spanky. A large and scary dog jumps on Alfalfa. In a dream sequence, Alfalfa falls off a cliff and onto the rocks below. In a go-cart race, the kids drive through a grocery store parking lot and knock people over. Alfalfa punches Woim in the face, knocking him into mud.
Sexy stuff: Alfalfa and Darla kiss three times. Alfalfa runs around in his underwear and once it's implied that he's totally naked in front of Darla and Waldo. A.J. kisses Spanky on the cheeks. Several girls and boys kiss.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Characters mention Cracker Jacks and brands like Campbells Soup and Etch-A-Sketch are visible.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on The Little Rascals (1994)

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about whether the things they see in the movie can really happen. Can you put out a fire with water balloons? Can you really burp and fart bubbles if you drink dish soap? What should you do if you get into a dangerous situation like the Our Gang group does?

What's the story?

What's the story?
It may be 1994 Los Angeles, but Our Gang hasn't changed: Spanky (Travis Tedford) is calling together the gang for an emergency meeting of the He-Man Womun Haters Club to talk about the upcoming go-cart race. But their star driver, Alfalfa (Bug Hall), is breaking the club's first rule: "to be a he-man and hate women ... " He's wooing Darla (Brittany Ashton Holmes) with his warbling songs. In trying to break the pair up, the gang accidentally sets the clubhouse on fire; then, local bullies Butch (Sam Saletta) and Woim (Blake Jeremy Collins) steal their prize-winning go-cart. To top it off, a new kid moves to town: Waldo (Blake McIver Ewing), a rich jerk who wears a suit and tie and has Donald Trump as a father (really).

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Our Gang was a classic -- a slapstick retelling of adult dating woes through the outlandish eyes of adult-ified kids. THE LITTLE RASCALS (1994) recaptures that essence with mostly positive results. There are some great Our Gang moments here, with many scenes resurrecting those hilarious physical comedy gags of the original series. Alfalfa sings "The Barber of Seville" while bubbles come out of his mouth, an homage to the original Little Rascals TV series. And the film retains the fast-forward chase scenes and images that lovers of the original will remember fondly.

There are also some great cameos: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Whoopi Goldberg, Reba McEntire, Mel Brooks, Raven Symone, and Lea Thompson.

But children today may be confused by the references and some of the behavior. Everyone knows children don't say things like "effrontery" and "Darla, you have the sophistication of a woman of 12" -- and they probably never did. But the kids in The Little Rascals did in the 1930s and continue to in the remake.

Movie themes & details

Themes
friendship
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Cast: Brittany Ashton Holmes, Bug Hall
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release: September 18, 1994
DVD release: January 20, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: some rude dialogue.
This review was written by Heather Boerner
 
 

Review It

 

Review The Little Rascals (1994)

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

Amie
teen, 15 years old
 
LOL Funny
I just watched this movie today and the only movie was funny.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (9) | read my mind (6)
alllamericanreject
teen, 13 years old
6
 
Remake of our Gang satisfies
Parents need to know that the remake of Our Gang features Little Kids acting like adults,gay humor,and sexicm. The movie is great but not meant for kids under 6.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (8) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (7)
eleventimesthe ...
kid, 12 years old
6
 
'Wittle' songs stuck in my head
Me and my cousins were wathcing this in the car,now we can't stop singing ' we got a dollar' and 'we are he man women haters,we feed girls to alligators'
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (7)
Poison Ivey
teen, 17 years old
7
 
funny
This movie is so funny and almost as good as the original. Theres like nothing bad in it. It could be rated G. I watched it when i was siiiix
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (6) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (6)
KinbJune
teen, 13 years old
5
 
The Big Rascals
This was a very cute movie that my classmates and I absolutely loved! We were always begging for more! It was a very loving movie.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (5)
alyssa12345
kid, 9 years old
2
 
YOU MISSED SOME LAUNGE IT HAS JERK AND PUNK
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (6) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (6)
spidermonkey
teen, 16 years old
6
 
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY
YOU SHOULD DEFINATLEY SEE THIS MOVIE IT IS SO GOOD VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY funny
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (5) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (5)
LINDSEY1151
adult
2
 
hufgbhn
lol
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (5) | had useful details (4) | read my mind (5)
BlueCastle
kid, 10 years old
5
 
see it
this is good but has learning stuff language Darla says hate spanky is bad role model but at end he is so i rate this the best 4 5t iffy for4t to 1t soits really really sweet nega cool movie so watch it or rent it to me this is the best kid movie in the hole world
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (3)
poopytvgb
kid, 9 years old
8
 
good movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my dad was is a big fan for the cartoons. i think he didn't like the movie. anyway,the only bad stuff was the laugage and sexy stuff.there was not any laugage until the end when they say bite m*and su**.the kids do kiss,but it is mild.also afalf's undearwear falls down , but it is off-screen.there is violence and bad role models,i don't have time to talk about that.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (4)

More reviews ...

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
Advice on the big issues
 

vote now

Will you see The Little Rascals (1994)?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already seen it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Browse more movies
About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
Our child development rating guidelines