Luck of the Irish [VHS]
A movie about a middle schooler losing his lucky medallion and morphing into a leprechaun may be no match for Britney and the boys in the tween turn-on arena, butLuck of the Irishis not without its charms. Ryan Merriman plays Kyle Johnson, basketball whiz and all-around It boy, who's flummoxed by school Heritage Day--as far as he knows, he's from Cleveland. A little rooting around reveals not just Irish but leprechaun roots, and then things really get freaky--Kyle's ears go Vulcan and the slam-dunker's suddenly a shrinky-dink. Juicing up the high jinks here are a must-win basketball game and the devotion of a do-gooder gal pal.Luck, produced by the Disney Channel, not only has bright young actors on its side, it's also studded with moments of goofball funniness. Present it as the pot of gold at the end of a dreary school day, then dust it off again for St. Patty's.--Tammy La Gorce