The Apple Dumpling Gang
Originally published on social media on April 7th, 2022
Let me just say right off the bat, this movie was not about what I thought it was going to be about. In my mind, Don Knotts and Tim Conway were going to be nice hillbilly guys who adopt three cute orphans. I assumed they would go on quirky imaginative adventures, eat apple dumplings, and perhaps sing a song about it. Well I was wrong and a little disappointed that the film I watched was different than the one imagined.
The reason I tell you that story is because some of that bias might leak out onto what I have to say.
This film is a hodgepodge of potential. There are a lot of good elements, gold rush history, cute kids & shenanigans, and the irreplaceable Don Knotts. The filmmakers had the opportunity to better utilize those elements, and simply chose not to. It’s ironic considering the way the film is advertised. For instance, Don Knotts is in this film for maybe 20 minutes but is advertised as the main character.
There was a kind of cute love story that had no chemistry (and only five minutes of screen time), an accidental family unit that didn’t show real connection or love, and a whole bunch of references to drinking. Granted, I know that drinking is very much a western movie theme, and other Disney movies mention it, but it was a touch excessive in this particular film. Maybe I’m too much of a teetotaler?
Anyways, this film manages to still be a cute Disney film, but it only rewards itself with that title as it gets closer to the end. However, if anyone was patient enough to sit through the first boring hour, then they deserve the cute ending; it’s their reward.
In all fairness, I might like this film better if I watched it again knowing what I was getting into. I’ve had many circumstances where I don’t like a movie the first time but love it the second. So don’t let my words discourage you from watching it, rather let them prepare you so that you don’t have the heightened expectations like I had and ruin the film for yourself.