''Jacob Two Two Meets The Hooded Fang'' is a 1999 film adaptation of the
novel of the same name by
Mordecai Richler
Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are ''The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (novel), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and ''Barney's Version (novel), Barney's Versi ...
.
Synopsis
This humorous children's story recounts the adventure of a young boy who strives to be heard. As ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' writer James Bradshaw writes, Jacob Two-Two is "two plus two plus two years old, has two brothers and two sisters, and has to say everything twice just to be heard; odd numbers aren't his thing."
[James Bradshaw,]
The return of Jacob Two-Two
, 23 August 2008, ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
''. Accessed 24 July 2017. This quirk gives rise to his nickname "Two-Two". One day, he decides to buy the groceries for his parents, where he says, typically for Two-Two: "I want two pounds of firm, ripe tomatoes. I want two pounds of firm, ripe tomatoes."
[Mordecai Richler, ]
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang
', Toronto: Tundra Books, 2009, page 8. . Accessed 24 July 2017. Misunderstanding Jacob, the clerk threatens to have him arrested for "insulting a grown-up"; Jacob runs from the store and eventually finds himself in court. He is sentenced to two years, two months, two weeks and two minutes by the judge (Ice-T) in the Children's Prison hundreds of miles away from civilization. His place of punishment is a dark, dirty dungeon-like place where the children work and are kept in cells. There are the three head characters, Master Fish, a fish/human, Mistress Fowl, a bird-like woman and the Hooded Fang himself. They also have green henchmen who spray "slime resistors" at the children to prevent them escaping.
[Mordecai Richler, ]
Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang
', Toronto: Tundra Books, 2009, page 76. . Accessed 24 July 2017. Two child agents try to help him out, as the children also devise a plan for escape.
Critical reaction
Writing for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', Brendan Kelly suggests that while the opening of the film is funny, at least some of the material may not hold children's attention: "This dark, edgy kids’ fantasy may not have enough light action to keep the grade-schoolers amused. Sophisticated and largely intriguing, modern-day fairy tale centers on a six-year-old boy’s nightmare of life in a prison for kids. Helmer George Bloomfield and scripter Tim Burns have crafted a haunting, funny take on kids’ anxieties. But the acting is uneven, the pacing not fast enough for young attention spans, and the material may simply be too downbeat to click with the under-ten set."
[Brendan Kelly]
Review: ‘Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang’
11 October 1999, ''Variety''. Accessed 24 July 2017.
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reviewer Lafe Fredbjornson panned the 1999 film version as being a "not very good" adaptation of the book: "Because of how perfect
the 1977 film[Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang](_blank)
IMDB, 19678. Accessed 24 July 2017. was, this one's flaws stuck out. The kid playing Jacob Two-Two was pretty generic and lacked character. The
Ice-T rap-session in the courtroom didn't seem to fit.
Gary Busey
Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
as the Hooded Fang was scary for all the wrong reasons.
Mark McKinney
Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series ''The Kids in the Hall'' and 1 ...
and
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
seemed like standup comics in animal costumes. The prison set didn't feel like the one described in the book. The songs were dreadful."
[Lafe Fredbjornson, ]
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang
', Rotten Tomatoes, 2002. Accessed 24 July 2017.
Cast
*
Gary Busey
Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
... The Hooded Fang
*
Mark McKinney
Mark Douglas Brown McKinney (born June 26, 1959) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known as a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, which includes starring in the 1989 to 1995 TV series ''The Kids in the Hall'' and 1 ...
... Mr. Fish
*
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...
... Miss Fowl
*
Max Morrow
Max Morrow is a Canadian former actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Connor Undercover'' as the title character, ''Monk'' as Benjy Fleming, '' The Christmas Shoes'', ''Sister Mary Explains It All
''Sister Mary Explains It All'' is a 200 ...
... Jacob Two Two
*
Ice-T ... Justice Rough, The Judge
*
Maury Chaykin
Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American–Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of detective Nero Wolfe, as well as for his work as a character actor in many films and television programs.
Personal lif ...
... Mr. Cooper/Louie Loser
*
Joe Dinicol
Joe Dinicol (born December 22, 1983) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayal of Rory Regan / Ragman in a recurring role in the fifth season of ''Arrow''.
Life and career
Dinicol was born in Stratford, Ontario, the son of Emma (née ...
... O'Toole/Noah
*
Alison Pill
Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television ...
... Shapiro/Emma
*
Emma Bambrick
Emma may refer to:
* Emma (given name)
Film
* ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown
* ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* ''Emma'' (1996 TV film), a British television film starring Kate Be ...
... Shelly
*
Jake Goldsbie
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Goldsbie (born August 8, 1988) is a Canadian actor, who is best known for playing as Toby Isaacs in the CTV television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' from 2001 until 2009.
Biography
Goldsbie graduated from Concor ...
... Oscar
*
Shawn Roberts
Shawn Roberts (born April 2, 1984) is a Canadian actor best known for his roles in list of zombie films, zombie films such as ''Land of the Dead'', ''Diary of the Dead'' and the ''Resident Evil (film series), Resident Evil'' franchise.
Early lif ...
... Daniel
*
Lauren Harlow
Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius.
...
... extra
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 0163016
CBC Television original films
English-language Canadian films
1999 films
Films based on Canadian novels
Films based on works by Mordecai Richler
Canadian children's fantasy films
Films directed by George Bloomfield
1990s English-language films
1990s Canadian films