In the second half of the film, director Miner is probably striving for the kind of aggressive destruction comedy that Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy did so well. But working with a screenplay by Mark Steven Johnson (the "Grumpy Old Men" films), he hasn't a clue how to stage any of the comically violent set-pieces.

Miner and Johnson also never quite settle on a tone — is this supposed to be the off-the-wall style of "Naked Gun," or gentle, sentimental humor or slapstick or satire? They try them all, which results in a real mishmash.

Much of the film is filled with nasty, mean-spirited gags, which might be on-target satire if aimed at adults, but in a kids' picture seem merely inappropriate.

And the final scenes begin to look like a dark take on "Cape Fear," as the film gets progressively more violent. Ultimately, we see David and Roscoe atop a log that straddles the sides of a waterfall in a rainstorm in the middle of the night as Roscoe intones: "Welcome to hell." This is a children's comedy?

The players are adequate, though bringing Don Knotts into the mix and then giving him nothing to do seems a real crime. And the same goes for Carol Kane, as Roscoe's nagging wife.

"Big Bully" is rated PG for violence, profanity and vulgarity.