Gabriel Niko and Saige (2011 film)

Warning: this is not a real movie.Gabriel Niko and Saige is an American comedy adventure family film directed by Ben Stiller. It is produced by DreamWorks Pictures and distributed by Gabriel Combs Movies. The film stars Niko Lovett, Gabriel Combs, Saige Lovett, Adam Sandler, Jeremy DeLovett, and Sarah Lovett.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 13, 2011. It was a box office success, grossing $400 million against a $50 million budget, and received positive reviews for its plot, casting, humor, and performances. The film sparked a franchise, consisting of four films, one television series, and two video games.

Plot
Siblings Niko, Gabe, and Saige are rivals. Niko loves to pretend he’s in a Karate movie. Gabe loves to read comic books and has many fears. Saige likes to ignore her brothers and watch makeup tutorials. Their parents constantly try to get them to get along, but it never succeeds and they get worse each time. Their parents eventually give up and leave for a vacation to have them figure it out for themselves.

At home alone, the siblings throw a party and do whatever they want. Gabe goes outside to ride his new bike, Niko plays video games on the computer, and Saige watches makeup tutorials on their Mom’s computer. Their parents arrive home and see that they’ve made a mess and ground them. The siblings wear the “get along shirt” and plot to pretend to get along to get ungrounded.

As their parents believe that they are getting along, they take them to see a movie, where they meet Bonecrusher, a man who hates children. He follows the siblings into the movie theaters and stalks them as they watch the movie. The three siblings discover that their parents went on a date during the movie and take a bike home as they are chased by Bonecrusher.

The three arrive at home shortly and discover that their parents set the whole thing up to see if they really got along. The siblings begin to realize that they have been getting along and that they make a good team. The family celebrates Firework Day as they celebrate their friendship.

The siblings throw a party and then watch a Karate movie together as they get along happily. The Next Day, their presents go out for the weekend and they throw another party as they discover that Bonecrusher has found their house. They hide, but Bonecrusher finds them.

They go up a hill, but roll down to trip him. The siblings run to the Store, where they hide in the toy isle. Bonecrusher finds them and kidnaps Gabe. Niko and Saige get into a fight and split up. Saige goes home due to being afraid of getting into trouble and Niko goes to save Gabe, thus splitting up their friendship at the same time.

The parents arrive home and Saige realizes the error of her ways. She tells them that Bonecrusher is taking Gabe to an abandoned Factory just above the hills and the three go to rescue him and Niko.

Niko, meanwhile, sneaks into the factory as he discovers that he uses child bodies to create Chocolate bars and saves Gabe. He barely escapes, but Bonecrusher catches the two and roasts them over a hot stove to cook them alive. The two make up for their rivalry as Saige and the parents arrive and save Gabe and Niko.

The parents sue Bonecrusher instead of fighting him and he goes to jail, thus ending his rivalry with kids, who haunt him in the cell. The siblings learn to get along and promise to stay a team forever, no matter where they go.

Cast

 * Niko Lovett as Niko, a young boy who loves to watch Karate movies and pretend to know Karate.
 * Gabriel Combs as Gabe, Niko’s older brother who has many fears and likes to read comic books.
 * Saige Lovett as Saige, Niko’s sister who doesn’t like to be involved with the two brothers.
 * Adam Sandler as Bonecrusher, a supervillain that likes to attack young kids and eat them alive.
 * Jeremy DeLovett as Jeremy, Niko’s father who loves to play video games and works at a restaurant.
 * Sarah Lovett as Sarah, Niko’s mother who loves to watch makeup tutorials and works at a hospital.

Production
Announcement

The film was announced in June 2009, with no title to be revealed. The film was announced to be a comedy-family film about kids versus a villain.

Casting

It was also announced that Niko Lovett, Gabriel Combs, and Saige Lovett would be playing the protagonists of the film. It was also announced that Adam Sandler would be cast as the villain. Jeremy DeLover and Sarah Lovett were cast in August 2009.

Filming

Filming took place between May 2010 and October 2010, being filmed entirely in a trailer park in Joplin, Missouri and Branson, Kansas.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, humor, and performances. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 94% score, based on 383 reviews, with an average rating of 7.72/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Fun, funny, and purely original, Gabriel Niko and Saige is a family friendly comedy that all families are sure to enjoy.” On IMDb, the film has an average rating of 8/10.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 13, 2011. It was also released digitally on July 29, 2011, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 9, 2011.

Franchise
Sequels

The first sequel, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Return, was released theatrically in the United States on August 15, 2014. The second sequel, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Road Trip, was released theatrically in the United States on August 11, 2017. The third and final sequel, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Last Chapter, is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 20, 2020.

Television Series

A television series, titled The Adventures of Gabriel Niko and Saige, ran from May 17, 2013 to August 28, 2020. The series received mixed reviews, with praise for its faithfulness to the film, but with criticism for it’s messy television plot.

Video Games

The first video game, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: War, was released on iOS and Android on May 18, 2012, but was taken off on May 15, 2015, due to negative reviews from fans. The second and latest game, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: Battlegrounds, was released on August 22, 2020 on Android, iOS, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and is receiving positive reviews from fans.