Ladybugs (1992)

Rodney Dangerfield had at this point become known for playing sympathetic losers who go to outrageous lengths to climb the ladder of success. Here he is Chester Lee, a salesman with an understanding fiancée and a typical apathetic stepson. While trying to get a promotion, he somehow gets himself into coaching his bosses' championship soccer team, The Ladybugs. He accepts, merely on hearing the team's legacy. He soon finds out that all but one of the players is new to the team and know even less than he does. He then enlists the help of his stepson, a gifted soccer player, having him pose as a girl. The film is funny enough, as Dangerfield's wit carries it through. The b plot of the stepson's crush, who is also the bosses daughter,r is thrown in for teen appeal. This movie does not pretend to be anything more than a harmless farce, and is all the better for it.

This isn't the best movie but is watchable. I wouldn't show it to an 8 year old but fits the PG-13 ratting with ease. The fact that Dangerfield is the star and the premise is that a boy cross-dresses as a girl to be the ringer on an all girls soccer team should be some tip offs as to the content. If you didn't like it maybe you shouldn't let your TV be your baby sitter and have them bake some cookies for the church bake sale instead. I'm sorry but the movie deserves better than the only comment posted, bad as the movie is.If your kids like soccer and you don't mind some off color jokes this isn't a bad movie to get if you can find it. As stated the movie is well within the PG-13 rating.

This is going to sound crazy to most of you, but here it goes. Ladybugs is one of a handful of films that made me want to be a film maker. Seriously! I was 14 when I saw Ladybugs for the first time on video. Once I watched it, I watched it again. Something about the movie interested me to be a storyteller myself. The direction, the story, even the location of the film inspired me to start writing, acting, and begin taking film classes. Something about this feel good movie made me want to make movies myself. At the time, Jonathan Brandis just started acting himself. HE had done the Never Ending Story a few years before and was an up and coming actor. A month ago, Jonathan Brandis was found dead in his LA apartment. Though I never met the man, nor worked on any of his films, his "legacy" if you can call it that, had left a mark. His talents end on such a short note, it is unfair that his best work will never be seen. Even though he has left some good and bad movies behind, I recall most of his work as work of talent and joy.

Rarely funny and rarely entertaining Rodney Dangerfield flick that has him kissing up to his boss (Tom Parks) and becoming the coach of a young girl's soccer team that is sponsored by Parks' corporation. A silly fish-out-of-water story that involves cross-dressing, cameos, stupid situations and worst of all---lots of soccer. What's to like? 2 stars out of 5.