Buttons (2018)

*Get a physical copy of "Buttons: A Christmas Tale" on Amazon here*
*Get the album "Relaxation: Volume One" by Tim Janis on Amazon here*
*Get a copy of Keep Moving by Dick Van Dyke on Amazon here*
*Get a copy of My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: A Memoir by Dick Van Dyke on Amazon here*

Despite a name cast that any film producer would kill for, this scant musical is a disaster from start to finish.

A little orphaned girl named Emily (Noelle E Parker) is visited by kindly Rose (Angela Lansbury) while recovering in a hospital. Rose reads Emily a fairy tale featuring Annabelle (Alivia Clark) and her own adventures under the watchful eye of her guardian angel (Dick Van Dyke) during the American Industrial Revolution.

Read through that supporting cast list: Ioan Gruffudd, Roma Downey, Jane Seymour, Charles Shaughnessy, Robert Picardo, John de Lancie, with narration by Kate Winslet and Robert Redford. Wow, right? Wrong! Composer Tim Janis' direction is nothing short of abominable. His screenplay lifts from "Annie" and "Oliver!," but without offering anything new. The film itself is cheap, with too many computer generated scenes. The framing of many scenes reminded me of Ed Wood's films, complete with jump cuts and blurred picture. This is a musical without one memorable song, as smiling extras look directly into the camera. Redford and Winslet's "narration" is literally a handful of words, with Winslet's coming over an odd opening credits sequence that had me thinking I was watching the trailer instead. Don't be fooled by the other reviews that point out that the film is a charitable effort to combat autism. That's no excuse, I doubt my own autistic family member would make it five minutes into this.

Van Dyke and Lansbury try, but as they are getting on in years, Janis' camerawork lets both of them down. This mess has been released a few times, sports a number of subtitles (I saw it titled "Buttons: A Christmas Tale"), and I've seen three different running times for the film (I caught the 88 minute version). Watching this train wreck unfold, I wasn't fascinated but bored. There is no emotion and no heart. This is a shoddy, amateurish production that might appeal to your grandmother who finds "Green Acres" scandalous. A wasted opportunity, especially considering that cast.

Stats:
(2018) 88 min. (1/2*) out of five stars
-Directed by Tim Janis
-Story and Screenplay by Tim Janis & Elizabeth Demmer
-Cast: Noelle E Parker, Alivia Clark, Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke, Ioan Gruffudd, Roma Downey, Jane Seymour, Charles Shaughnessy, Robert Picardo, John de Lancie, Kate Winslet, Robert Redford, Abigail Spencer
(PG)- Mild adult situations