Critic releases guide for family film entertainment
The Family Movie Guide should be used along with the Motion Picture Association of America rating system for selecting movies suitable for children. Only films rated G, PG or PG-13 are included in this weekly listing, along with occasional R-rated films that may have entertainment or educational value for older children with parental guidance. Compiled by St. Petersburg Times film critic Steve Persall. Recommended for family
viewing
BIG FAT LIAR (PG) – Sitcom star Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) plays a student whose class essay idea is stolen by a Hollywood producer (Paul Giamatti) and turned into a movie. Muniz’s popularity should draw young fans; the film’s lack of objectionable material save for some crude slang should please parents.
E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (PG) – Steven Spielberg’s movie was great family entertainment even before he cleaned up some of the material for a 20th anniversary re-release. Spielberg erased the guns held by the bad guys chasing E.T. and replaced them with walkie-talkies. Plus, a memorably crude, childish put-down has been sanitized. Some tense moments, but most viewers know the happy ending by now.
ICE AGE (PG) – Fox Animation Studios does a decent Disney impersonation with an animated tale about prehistoric creatures returning a lost human child to her family. No profanity, nudity or sexual content. Some briefly crude toilet humor and moments of mild tension to make young viewers squirm.
THE ROOKIE – Fact-based tale of a middle-age baseball coach making it to the major leagues (or at least the Tampa Bay Devil Rays). Nothing objectionable, making this one of the most mature G-rated films since “My Dog Skip.” Good lessons about reaching for dreams for impressionable children, especially sports fans.
Recommended for family
viewing, with reservations
CROSSROADS (PG-13) – Britney Spears makes her film debut as an honor roll student road-tripping with two friends. The PG-13 rating results from a scene involving teens drinking alcohol and some sexual content when Spears’ (clothed) character loses her virginity. Could be a bit risque for some parents’ tastes, but just try to keep the mallrats away.
THE TIME MACHINE (PG-13) – H.G. Wells’ science fiction tale of a time-traveling inventor gets a state-of-the-art makeover. No profanity, nudity or sex, but the violent, ghoulish Morlocks may induce a few nightmares. The violence isn’t graphic, but it’s alarming at times.
Not recommended for family viewing
A BEAUTIFUL MIND (PG-13) – Russell Crowe (Gladiator) shines in a biography of John Forbes Nash, a mathematician who could figure out anything except his schizophrenic psyche.
Director Ron Howard’s film deals with mature themes of mental illness and government intrigue that won’t interest many small children.
Moderate profanity, flashes of violence and brief sensuality also make this one for adults only.
BIG TROUBLE (PG-13) – Dave Barry’s comic novel of gunrunners and gangsters in Miami gets the big-screen treatment. Tim Allen, Rene Russo and Janeane Garofalo co-star. Moderate profanity and crude humor, much of it relating to sexual matters. The film’s original release date was postponed after the events of Sept. 11 due to a subplot involving an airline hijacking.
DRAGONFLY (PG-13) – Kevin Costner plays a doctor whose dead wife may be contacting him through his patients’ near-death experiences. More supernatural stuff along the lines of “The Sixth Sense” and “The Mothman Prophecies” that could be too intense for young viewers. Mature themes include the death of a parent. Mild sensuality and profanity.
HIGH CRIMES (PG-13) – “Kiss the Girls” co-stars Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd are reunited in this military mystery.
She’s the wife of an officer accused of murder, and he’s the investigator trying to prove the defendant’s innocence. Moderate profanity, occasional bursts of violence and a bit of sexual heat, plus the mature plot, make this a dubious choice for children.
JOHN Q (PG-13) – Denzel Washington plays a father who takes hostages in a hospital to obtain a life-saving organ transplant for his son. Moderate profanity and violence, plus mature themes including the use of such extreme means to get what you want. Prepare to do some explaining to children.
KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST (PG-13) – Cheaply produced martial arts comedy incorporating footage from a 25-year-old kung fu movie with tasteless new footage. The MPAA rating results from comic violence, crude jokes and sexual humor.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (PG-13) – The boundaries of PG-13 violence are shattered by Peter Jackson’s elaborate adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary adventure. The battle for control of Middle-earth features numerous bloody battles, decapitations, impalings and bone-bashings. Just because they usually happen to fantasy creatures rather than people doesn’t make it different. Mild sensuality, mature themes and a 3-hour running time that may numb small children.
SHOWTIME (PG-13) – Any film starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy as tough cops can be expected to include its share of profanity and action violence. This comedy about a reality-television police show also includes drug abuse.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com. E-mail persall(at)sptimes.com.)
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