Four Kids And It

''Four Kids and It'' is a 2020 British fantasy film directed by Andy De Emmony and written by Simon Lewis and Mark Oswin. It is based on the 2012 novel '' Four Children and It'' by Jacqueline Wilson, which is based on E. Nesbit's 1902 novel ''Five Children and It''.

The film stars Paula Patton, Matthew Goode, Russell Brand and Michael Caine.

Plot

The film is set at a beach in Cornwall where siblings Ros and Robbie spend a holiday with their father David, his girlfriend Alice, and her daughters Samantha and Maudie from America. The children dislike each other at first but begin to get along once they discover a mysterious magical creature, Psammead or Sand Fairy, on the beach. Psammead can grant one wish a day, but the wish ends at sunset.

Using a wish with Psammead, the children travel back 100 years. There they meet the aristocratic Tristan Trent who holds Ros at gunpoint and demands to know about the Sand Fairy. However, Samantha, Robbie, and Maudie ask Psammead for superpowers and rescue Ros.

Next, the children travel to the past to learn how to make a wish permanent, but are unsuccessful. The children return to the present, where Tristan Trent III wants to use the Sand Fairy for dastardly deeds. Tristan finds the Sand Fairy's location by putting a tracking device under Ros's shoe. The children take Psammead with them and trap Tristan on the beach.

Afterwards, the children realize they like each other. They take Psammead to their house, hiding him from their parents in the bathroom.

Cast

* Billy Jenkins as Robbie
* Ashley Aufderheide as Samantha (Smash)
* Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen as Ros
* Ellie-Mae Siame as Maudie
* Paula Patton as Alice
* Russell Brand as Tristan Trent III
* Michael Caine as the voice of Psammead, Sand Fairy
* Matthew Goode as David
* Cheryl as Coco
* William Franklyn-Miller as Carl
* Paul Bazely as Sgt. Gas
* Finbarr Doyle as Security Guard

Production

Principal photography began in July 2018 in Ireland.

Release

''Four Kids and It'' was originally intended for a simultaneous release on the subscription service Sky Cinema and in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released solely on Sky Cinema on 3 April. In the United States, the film was released on digital, Blu-ray, DVD, and on demand on 30 June 2020 by Lionsgate.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 49% based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "''Four Kids and It'' has a few moments of whimsy and charm, but it's not enough to leave a lasting impression." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on reviews from seven critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Guy Lodge of '' Variety'' wrote, "'Careful what you wish for' may have been the essential moral takeaway from the sourcebooks, but that wasn't to discourage wishing for anything at all: In all respects, this serviceable but anodyne programmer could dream a bit bigger." Justin Lowe of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' called it "More curio than classic, ''Four Kids and It'' may hold children's attention (and sometimes test adults' patience) over the movie's brief running time, but seems unlikely to inspire many a second viewing." Anna Smith of ''Empire'' wrote: "The kids and Caine are good, but this lacks the magic of its source novels. Younger children may enjoy it, but its attempts to entertain older viewers mostly fall flat."

The film grossed $798,211 worldwide.

References

External links

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{{Five Children and It

2020 films
2020 fantasy films
2020s British films
2020s English-language films
2020s films about time travel
British fantasy films
English-language fantasy films
Films based on British novels
Films based on children's books
Films based on fantasy novels
Films set on beaches
Films shot in Cornwall
Films shot in Ireland
Five Children and It
Magic realism films