Hard to believe the Disney branch of the mid-'70s thought kids would be interested in the kooky nuns of "One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing", the church-lady super-snoopers of "The North Ave. Irregulars", or in the plot of this talky, sentimental comedy starring Jodie Foster as a delinquent teen transplanted from Los Angeles to the English countryside. Foster's in cahoots with a thieving couple, trying to find a treasure hidden somewhere on the property of an elderly woman and her gaggle of orphans. Despite a few missteps, Foster's work here is admirable, particularly in the quiet scene where she walks the grounds with Helen Hayes ("You have to keep your dukes up," Foster says. "When you wake up in the morning, the first punch is yours."). Her introductory scenes being 'bad' are enjoyable, though she seems to bond awfully fast with the other kids in the English manor, and I didn't quite buy it when she has a complete change of heart and becomes part of the family. We are not spared another Disney car chase--I don't know why I thought we would be, I supposed since we were in England and searching for treasure that wouldn't happen--but by God if the archaic Disney brass didn't shoehorn a nick-of-time auto-and-train race into this thing. Still, Jodie's performance, Ron Goodwin's wonderful score and some lightly amusing set-pieces make the film entertaining. **1/2 from ****
Review of Candleshoe
