Ratz (2000)

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Marci and Summer are two 14 year olds with the usual teenage angst. Both of them are in braces and end up being wallflowers at the local dances. They work part time for a lady named Doris (Kathy Baker) who runs a junk shop. Doris is a shy, spectacled woman who longs for the glamour she sees in her favorite soap opera. One day, Doris gets her hands on a gold-plated box as she looks over items at a yard sale. When she brings it home, it has a ring inside...a ring that grants wishes! Soon, Doris is all dolled up, like a soap star, and the girls get dates for the next big dance....dates that arrive when Doris changes her pet rats into boys. Things don't go smoothly, however. A shy repairman named Herb, who admired Doris from afar, is certain she has been kidnapped and the girls have to buy a never-ending stash of cheese crackers for the new gents. Can anyone spell trouble? This is a cute movie, aimed at preteen girls, no doubt, but which will please women of any age. Kathy Baker is excellent as the shy shopkeeper and the rest of the cast is fun, fun, fun. The script is a fresh, new twist on the old Cinderella story and sports humor at every turn. The costumes are very, very nice, as Doris is soon looking ultra glamorous, thanks to the ring, and the girls always look great, too. If you wish to please any young or old females in your family, try to bring this movie home for them to enjoy. They should be delighted.

I enjoyed this movie. I stumbled across it on tv while surfing channels, and was immediately intrigued by the hilarious plot. My daughter and I watched it from the beginning the following afternoon, and both laughed hard at the situations and characters.A funny concept is made funnier by the performances of some talented, if lesser known, actors. Vanessa Lengies as Marci and Caroline Elliot as Summer do a terrific job as two preteens caught in a funny dilemna. Kathy Baker and Ron Glass play their dysfunctional characters to a "T", and the rest of the cast does an excellent job of portraying this charicature of small town life set awry by a magical ring.Not a masterpiece, but a fun piece of fluff for a rainy Sunday afternoon!

I think that this movie was really cool. It was good and funny, especially if you are below the age of 15. The person who said it was poorly acted and written, was absolutely wrong.

Despite the obvious cheesiness of this movie I loved it. In fact I ordered the movie today because it was so much fun to watch. It reminds me of back in my pre-teen/childhood days when I would have been obsessed with this movie. Not to mention Woah member Levi James (2gether fans will understand) It was a great movie for the young and young at heart! I'm 16 and I loved it!