In Balloon Farm, a mysterious stranger (Rip Torn) comes to a drought-stricken town and miraculously produces a bumper crop of the helium-filled critters. But does this inspire the locals to hang on for rain? Nope. As with all children's movies, it's up to the kid (Mara Wilson) to get the grown-ups (including a doofy Laurie Metcalf) to believe and save the day. And while some of the performances make Jim Varney look like a master of subtlety, you can't help but be won over by the sheer good-naturedness of it all. B+