Search - VeggieTales Classics - Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed on DVD

A weak entry in the excellent Veggie Tales series

hutchens@mindspring.com | Atlanta, GA | 04/11/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"We're huge fans of Veggie Tales in our home. "Bob" (the name of the tomato straight-man) was among our daughter's first words!Still, I have to express some disappointment in this episode of the series. "The Rumor Weed" is ambitious, and aims high. It misses. The laughs don't come as often, the songs aren't as memorable, the plot line isn't as compelling, as they are in the previous VT episodes. Our daughter, who sits glued to most episodes, won't watch this one all the way through.I think the problem is that the producers got so ambitious, they abandoned the elements that have made the series so charming. The Veggies just seem funnier and more engaging when they are narrating stories from the kitchen counter.As for the omission of the "Silly Song" -- my wife and I were heartbroken. We love the Silly Songs! Please bring them back!If you have never seen a Veggie Tale, please don't let this negative review of "The Rumor Weed" turn you away. The Veggie Tales are wonderful. I recommend "Madame Blueberry," "Josh and the Big Wall" or "Dave and the Giant Pickle." Great stuff.Hopefully, future episodes will be a return to form, and reclaim my little girl's attention once again."

Larry-Boy is my hero!

Chess Heart | Canton, OH | 03/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Our purple and yellow cucumber hero is back again, friends, battling evildoers in the (normally) quiet town of Bumblyburg. Only this time, the bad guys don't come from outer space, but from under the ground.While it is not necessary to be familiar with "Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space"-- where Larry's alter-ego, Larry-Boy, made his dramatic (if confused) appearance-- there are a number of inside jokes that make more sense if one if familiar with the first Larry-Boy tape and the general opus of Big Idea's (the producer) work.Our show opens when the peas come out of the Bumblyburg movie theatre and stop to gaze at the sky. Remembering how the LAST time they saw a movie here the town was soon set upon by Fib, they are suddenly set upon by one of the Scallions (ever notice how they always play one of the bad guys? Perhaps they're rapscallions...? ). He promptly steals Percy Pea's milk money and heads for the nearest roof. There, *a la* Tim Burton's "Batman" he meets up with-- gasp! -- Larry-Boy! (adults and older kids will get a chuckle from the direct reference to Batman when the scallion says, "Who ARE you?" "I'm *Larry-Boy*! ")Larry-Boy turns the robber upside down and shakes him vigorously until all the money falls to the ground and is returned to Percy (Alfred Asparagus, Larry-Boy's butler, later tells him that to release a criminal from his super-suction ears he needs to shake vigorously and tilt his head to the LEFT). Larry-B himself looks to the sky and challenges any fibs from outer space to just TRY to run amok in Bumblyburg while HE'S walking the beat! Well, nothing falls from the sky, but L.B. DOES accidentally knock over a potted plant, which falls on a telephone line. The line makes the plant jump and sizzle with electricity, and when it falls into the sewer, it suddenly stands up and grins a wicked grin, *a la* "Little Shop of Horrors".Archibald Asparagus pays a visit to the Bumblyburg school to tell the class some of his adventures. At the end, he says it's time for him to go home and 'charge his batteries', which Laura Carrot and Junior Asparagus interpret to mean, among other things, that Alfred must be some sort of ROBOT! You can imagine what happens next when the Rumor Weed-- now sporting granny glasses and heavy, bright, red lipstick and an everybody's-business sort of voice and manner-- grows up in yards, in sidewalk cracks and immediately asks to those standing 'round: "Have ya' hoid a-bout Alfred? He's a ROBOT! " Of course, everyone belives the weed, but (and this is the point) no one bothers to ask ALFRED.Every Veggie Tales tape I've seen (which is all but one) is excellently produced. There are many religious videos for children that are good but do not have the standard of animation, the quality of music and song and range of audience that every Veggie Tales video has. Each tape is creative, fun to watch and appeals to every age group on some level, and that is missing in a LOT of video, religious or not. For example, infants/toddlers will like the big, "round" characters. Preschool will enjoy the slapstick and silly situations the characters (most notably, Larry) get themselves into. Elementary school children will enjoy the wordplay, the slapstick and the message. Adults, who may otherwise find themselves not watching at all, will be similarly glued to the show for it's subtle little zings-- like the above reference to Batman (personally, it's been my opinion that perhaps the reason parents don't watch shows with their children is because there is nothing in it for THEM-the adults).L.B. and the Rumor Weed is slightly different from other V.T. tapes in that A) the cassette case is green and B) the familiar opening theme song and intro by Bob and Larry is missing. We also don't get an old fashioned intermission of "Silly Songs with Larry".But, near the end we get to glimpse some other residents of Bumblyburg, including some mushrooms, red peppers and what appeared to be a small pumpkin. Is the regular cast of V.T. to expand? Perhaps only Larry-Boy and Alfred know!"

One of our favorites!

Brenda Hammond | Colorado City, Texas | 06/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My 2 year old has been watching Veggie Tales videos at the sitters for months. We finally bought some of these wonderful videos for home, and we love them all! Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed was the 2nd we bought, and we all love it. Our 2 year old son loves Larry Boy, and repeats almost every word of the video. While it is true that this video does not follow the exact format of others in the series, we find it to be a nice change of pace. There are many pluses to this series, and they apply to this video as well as the others. It is great for kids to have something really fun to watch and at the same time be learning real Christian values and stories. I think one of the things that appeals to me most is that the Veggie Tales videos don't subject you to 10 or 15 minutes worth of previews before they start. The tapes we have purchased have one preview at the most, and then the feature starts. Our son's other favorite is Blue's Clues, which is also great, but each Blue's Clues video is preceded by a long series of previews and ads. While we don't mind that when we rent videos, it is annoying when paying money for a tape to have to put up with all those previews.We highly recommend Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed, as well as any in the Veggie Tales series. We watch Veggie Tales every day at our house, and that not only includes the 2 year old, but also his 42 year old mom and teenage brothers and sisters!"

Better Tale for older kids

H. Johnson | New England, USA | 03/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the longer stories, and the message is probably better suited to older children of school age who are more apt to experience what a rumor is. My one year old daughter loves ALL her Veggie Tales and this one is no exception! Larry the Cucumber as a batman-like Larry Boy is just hysterical! The Rumor Weed is every bit the menacing evil nemisis, but in a funny gossipy-old-lady kind of way. As usual, Junior Asparagus becomes the voice of reason and helps to save Bumblyburg. A great addition to any Veggie Tales collection! Fun for the whole family, and a wonderful alternative to typical Saturday morning tv which is filled with advertising and inappropriate messages."