Curly Sue: A Heartwarming Family Story
- Jasmin Rowcliffe
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 29
Curly Sue is a little girl who considers Bill to be her father and friend. Bill Dancer is portrayed as the father of Curly Sue. After Curly Sue’s mother died, Bill took her in as his own because he loved her as his own and couldn’t bear letting the orphan go to an orphanage. However, they lost their home and money and became con artists to make somewhat of a life for themselves. Grey Ellison was engaged to Walker McCormick, a cruel man. Grey allegedly hit Bill with her vehicle, causing Grey to be a victim of Bill and Curly Sue’s con trick. While feeding Bill and Curly Sue dinner for the “accident”, she calls her fiancé who is suspicious of the incident. Walker McCormick definitely shows his disapproval through his actions and words throughout the film and this upsets Grey. However, Grey later hits Bill with her car, this time Bill actually got hit. Grey takes Bill and Curly Sue under her care in her home. When Walker discovers this, he throws a fit. Later in the film, Grey ends their relationship because she has feelings for Bill.
Family is an enormous theme in this film. Curly Sue expresses how Bill is like a father to her. This film really expresses well how family doesn’t have to only be by blood, but it comes from inside the heart too. The orphan, Curly Sue, loves Bill as if he was truly her father and Bill expresses his love back as if she were truly his daughter.
The feeling of belonging is another theme shown throughout the film. You can see how Curly Sue feels like she belongs with Bill and is happy with Grey as well, because she cracks jokes and smiles when around them. However, when the child protective services take Curly Sue away, you can tell how uncomfortable she is in her new home.
Love is another theme expressed in this film. You can tell Curly Sue loves Bill because when she’s planning the names of her future children, she says she wants to name one after Bill. Curly Sue also tells Bill she loves him. Sue says she doesn’t like letters because she believes that it’s a sign of people leaving. When Sue and Grey return to Grey’s home, Sue notices that her ring and a letter are on the table. In her mind, she thinks Bill has left her. However, this is a sign that Bill is leaving his old life behind and ready to provide her a more suitable life. You can also infer that Grey loves Curly Sue and Bill based on how happy she is when shopping for the both of them and when she fights back to get Curly Sue back home.
There was various storytelling techniques used throughout the film, but the most notable techniques made the film stand out to me. For instance, they made relatable characters. The characters shared personal stories that made the audience feel more connected to the characters. The way they show and don’t tell, allows the audience to infer what's going to happen next. However, when Bill left a letter on the table along with Sue’s ring, the audience thought Bill left Sue. Showing without telling allows filmmakers to trick the audience. Showing the conflict in the story. While we understand that Bill and Sue don’t have the best life, we hope that the stakes will change for the better.
This film is rated thirteen percent by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics believe this film is predictable and corny while others believe it’s somewhat enjoyable and works. I disagree with those critics; Curly Sue is far from corny and predictable. Curly Sue focuses on real life situations that can affect others and makes it work really well. I believe that Curly Sue is underrated and deserves more attention and love. The film Curly Sue influenced cultures by showing social struggles and turning it into a happy ending.
One review on IMDb really ties into my personal opinions about Curly Sue. This underrated film deserves much more love and attention. This film does well with little kids and is a great family movie to watch!
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