Victoria Justice suggested that we “LOL” when she walked into the Mall of America theatre before the premiere of her new movie “Fun Size” on October 20, and I did indeed follow her advice by “LOLing” several times during the film. Contrary to popular belief, Halloween doesn’t always need to be scary which is why this movie is a perfect lead in to Halloween.

Complete with characters dressed up like a one armed Spider Man, a scandalous cat, and a war hero, there were also some pretty wacky events that happened in “Fun Size.” Losing a brother, egging on a fight with a bully, and having a mom that wasn’t around much, were just a few which led to one memorable comedic experience. This movie is rated PG-13 so trust me, the humor will be appreciated.

Now you’re probably thinking, “Oh that’s just a stupid Nickelodeon movie. It’s  going to be lame.” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have that same concern. However, having seen the movie, I was pleasantly surprised.

When I sat down with the stars of the movie, Victoria Justice and Thomas Mann, during a publicity event on October 19, they were really relaxed and down to earth. On the subject of the movie, Victoria said she could relate to Wren (the main character in “Fun Size”) because they are both older siblings which is a big responsibility. In the film, Wren (played by Justice) has to watch her little brother Albert but she loses him in a haunted house.

Mann talked about one day on set when he passed out during a photo shoot because they were wearing their Halloween costumes and “it was like 100 degrees outside.” He said, “that’s never happened to me before so that was really embarrassing.”

Victoria and Thomas agreed on their favorite moment, “The scene we shot when the chicken fell onto the car and started thrusting, that was the best. We’d been waiting for weeks to shoot it.” Immediately following the response, they both started to crack up. They said filming was really fun and a great experience and that “everyone hung out off set, we would just hang out and unwind at someone’s apartment.” Mann also enjoyed a road trip taken when they stopped to get grilled cheese where there were “at least 20 different kinds”. Victoria wasn’t able to go because she had to work that day.

Mann and Justice also offered advice to aspiring actors. Mann kicked it off by saying, “Just get involved. Do anything you can, a local improv class, high school theater,” which is where he got his start and realized his love of acting, “it can be anything, it doesn’t have to be a big movie role.” Being a breakout actor, his advice can be trusted. He starred in “As Cool As I Am” and “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” before making it big by landing roles in “Fun Size” and “Project X.” Justice agreeing with Mann, added, “Be like a sponge, soak up as much as you can by seeing other famous people in action. Watch lots of movies, new and old.” One of those films could be “Fun Size.” It is now playing!