Bad Manners

(Robert Houston, 1984)
Not sure what exactly is Canadian about this one - set in sunny California, it depicts the antics and jailbreak of a bunch of foul-mouthed orphans who go to rescue their friend from his adoptive parents - played with gusto and extreme blandness by Karen Black and Martin Mull, respectively. This is a staunchly anti-authoritarian piece of filmmaking, with overlays of 80s raunch-comedy thrust into the hands of pre-pubescent actors, in a strict Us Vs. Them setup against the grotesque representatives of the adult world. I'm into that. What's weird is what happens when this goes anywhere near race issues - like the icky Spanish maid, or the black kid named Blackie who says "You're a racist? That's all right - I'm a racist too." Ugh! The ninja kid is pretty bad too (he eats a raw fish head) but that's partially redeemed by a funny gag where his ninja friends want him to come out to play. Oh, all right I'll be forgiving- it's pretty funny.