Bugsy Malone

Bugsy Malone is nothing but its godawful idea.

Parker's script is as sharp as a wiseguy's suit, his attention to period and genre detail a constant joy, and he coaxes scarily poised performances from his young performers.

It's boisterous and good-natured, with catchy songs, and always sublimely unaware of its own strangeness.

The songs and set pieces are still fresh and infectious and most of the child cast are mesmerisingly good. I defy anyone not to be caught up in the charm and nostalgia.

Bugsy Malone is like nothing else. It's an original, a charming one, and it has yet another special performance by Jodie Foster, who at thirteen was already getting the roles that grown-up actresses complained weren't being written for women anymore.

…was and is an innocent film, made by kids for kids, and with adult concerns only getting in the way…there’s an appropriately child-like glee in Bugsy Malone’s best songs, which all sound great today, and the staging is agreeably quaint...

Williams writes good songs and the whole production has a good-natured, uncynical vibe.

Alan Parker directed a handful of exemplary musicals over the course of his career, but this isn't one of them.

There are many delightful and mirth-provoking scenes in the picture. which tells the story of the gang wars in New York in a most unusual, unforgettable way.

This film is the brainchild of writer/director Alan Parker, and it's amazing that he's pulled it off successfully.