THE GUEST

Maurice and Mona aren't the perfectly matched couple that George and Martha were. Maurice is a snail with a shocking pink shell, and Mona is. . . well, no one ever says what Mona is, but she looks like a moose in hippo's clothing. Of course they share the same sort of endearing friendship George and Martha had, with the affecting difference being the size disproportion between big, lonely Mona and tiny Maurice as they play hide and seek, cook (Maurice's favorite hobby) and share their French toast breakfast. Then Maurice disappears and Mona is disconsolate until he returns with his new family—Jean Pierre, Brigitte, Monique, etc. etc.—in tow. One would think that all those new arrivals might throw a wrench into even the most perfect friendship, and sunny harmony here is a bit thick. This is patently a variation on Marshall's last successful matchmaking job, though as usual his cheerfully costumed blimps make a visual splash.