Bugsy Malone is nothing but its godawful idea.

Parker's script is as sharp as a wiseguy's suit, his attention to period and genre detail a constant joy, and he coaxes scarily poised performances from his young performers.

It's boisterous and good-natured, with catchy songs, and always sublimely unaware of its own strangeness.

…was and is an innocent film, made by kids for kids, and with adult concerns only getting in the way…there’s an appropriately child-like glee in Bugsy Malone’s best songs, which all sound great today, and the staging is agreeably quaint...