Boy meets girl...Boy meets plant...Plant eats people. That's the setup for one of the most enjoyable movies of the last twenty years.
Based upon the Off-Broadway musical created by Howard Ashman, who also wrote the screenplay and lyrics, which was inspired by the cult classic directed by Roger Corman of the same name, the movie tells the story of clumsy flower shop employee Seymour Krelborn (Rick Moranis) who's in love with his coworker Audrey (Ellen Greene) but lacks the confidence to tell her because after all she has a Elvis-like boyfriend, Orin Scrivello, DDS (Steve Martin) who's also a sadist. One day, during a total eclipse of the sun, Seymour comes across a strange plant. He names it Audrey II and puts it in the store window. The plant attracts customers, reporters, and people trying to make money off it but there's just one problem. The plant can only eat human flesh.
The movie is ripe with camp and crazy supporting characters, including a WEIRRRD radio dj and a masochist who likes visiting the dentist. It never takes itself too seriously and so it manages to entertain. Director Frank Oz has managed to capture the brillance of the stageplay.
The puppet of Audrey II was designed and created by Lyle Conway and is really one of the high points of the movie and features the voice of motown singer Levi Stubbs.
The biggest difference from the stage production and this wholly entertaining film is the ending where, SPOILER ALERT!!!, the plant is defeated and Audrey and Seymour go somewhere that's green. In the play both SPOILER ALERT!!! of the lovers are swallowed by the plant and Audrey II multiplies and his species take over the world. It was changed because test audiences didn't like it but the ending here works well
★★★1/2
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