Curly Sue is a 6 year old with an abundance of hair and a life as a drifter. She and her father, Bill (Jim Belushi),try to survive on the streets by being small time con artists. In Chicago, Bill decides to jump in front of a car in a pricey parking garage while Curly will scream about lawsuits and traction to the intended victim. It happens to be a very upscale lawyer named Grey (Kelly Lynch) who is appropriately appalled at what she has done. Not only do the scammers make some cash, they get to spend the night at Grey's plush apartment. Even then, Grey feels she owes them more so the three of them hang together for a spell. Grey only knows the lucrative law business and nothing about life. Who better to teach her than Bill and Curly, those savvy experts on life's realities? But, all good things must come to an end and there is no life for a legal expert and a couple of con men. Or is there? This is a sweet and funny movie about the unexpected. Curly is certainly as entertaining as Shirley Temple but much edgier, of course. Belushi gives a rare touching performance as the down on his luck con and Lynch is luminous as the snooty but soft touch lawyer. John Hughes, as writer and director, shows us his magic touch once again, as the script is lively and unpredictable. Just watch Curly and Bill take Grey out for a night, with no money, and see the humorous results. Do you long for happy endings, long promised and finally delivered, with a few uncertain moments in between? This is your made-to-order movie.

I had heard some not-so-charitable things about Curly Sue, and after also seeing the negative rating on IMDb, I was differing whether to see it. You see Curly Sue I have seen dismissed as cheesy, overly sentimental, predictable, slow and so forth. Curly Sue is not perfect by all means, but I actually did not see what was so awful about it.

I agree the story can be predictable, and the film can be slow at times. I also felt Curly Sue was slightly overlong, but that's probably just me.

However, I did not find it overly sentimental really. Sentimental it is, but overly so no. The film is very heartfelt and poignant, yet has a humorous and light-hearted tone to it. Curly Sue also is beautifully filmed, has a lovely soundtrack and the direction is solid enough. Even the acting wasn't too bad. Alison Porter is very endearing and cute in the title role, while Kelly Lynch is sexy and appealing and James Belushi is very watchable as the bum with a heart, and is also somewhat touching.

Overall, has its faults but is both funny and touching. I liked it, a lot. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Bill Dancer (Jim Belushi) and Curly Sue are homeless drifters running little scams to get by day to day. He has been taking care of her since her mother left her as a baby. Grey Ellison (Kelly Lynch) is a driven divorce lawyer. Bill pretends to get run over by Grey and she gives them a meal. Her cold-hearted fiancée Walker McCormick stops her from doing more despite her falling for little Curly Sue. Later, she actually truly hits him with her car. The two stays at her apartment as the trio grows closer together.

Not everything is gold when it comes to John Hughes. Sometimes the formula is too formulaic. I'm good with the sugary sweet little girl. The slapstick is way too much. It's trying desperately to be Curly Sue's namesake. It's almost schizophrenic as it goes from the silliest slapstick to the most emotionally manipulative tear jerker. While I buy Grey's love for Curly, it's hard to buy the same for Grey and Bill. This needs more reality and less formula. It need less silliness and Bill should probably leave at the end.