My catchphrase has been validated!

What that means is that I’ve actually been saying, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” since the eighth grade, when I first saw this movie (but didn’t pay close enough attention) and the phrase probably seeped in subconsciously but I didn’t actually remember where it came from. Now I know, and now I feel validated.

This is one of those heartwarmers, like The Mighty Ducks and Little Rascals and whatnot. It’s not great, it’s not terrible, it’s just fun. It may be wrong to say this, but it could probably also turn into a solid drinking game. Like you could drink when Yeah-Yeah says “Yeah Yeah!” or when the narrator says “pickle” or when Benny does something badass or shows off his baby wife-beater.

The one thing I really did like about this movie, besides seeing Denis Leary as a cold and distant 60s stepfather, was the story of a dorky kid being befriended by the really cool kid, and for genuine reasons. For once, the popular kid was also a nice kid, raised right, with a good head on his shoulders and a ton of talent up his sleeves. Scotty Smalls got lucky on that one. Most of them aren’t like that. But maybe, just maybe, if enough kids watch this movie at the right age, they’ll see that it’s okay to be nice to the weird kid.