Critic recommends suitable family films
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. Recommended
“The Crocodile Hunter” (PG) – Steve Irwin’s appeal comes from handling dangerous wildlife such as spiders and snakes, so children who fear such critters may be scared by his movie debut. A sprinkling of mild profanity and bloodless gunfire won’t offend many parents.
“Hey, Arnold! The Movie” (PG) – Nothing objectionable in this animated film based on the Nickelodeon favorite. The hero, a fourth-grader, organizes his neighborhood to prevent an unscrupulous land developer from bulldozing the town. A few lightly crude gags; fairly clean.
“Lilo & Stitch” (PG) – Disney’s summertime animation offering is closer to Cartoon Network shenanigans than classics such as “The Lion King” and “Aladdin.” Children will love Stitch, an ill-tempered alien posing as a pet on Earth. Girls in particular will bond with Lilo, a Hawaiian orphan dealing with a big sister, taunting classmates and loneliness. A few crude jokes are harmless, and a few nice messages shine through.
“The Powerpuff Girls Movie” (PG) – The MPAA assigned its rating based on “nonstop frenetic animated action”as three genetically engineered children use superpowers to save the world.
“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” (G) – Nothing objectionable except animal peril, as a wild horse gallops through the Old West, meets good and bad humans and falls in love with a mare.
Recommended
with reservations
“Dogtown and Z-Boys” (PG-13) – This true-life tale of the origins of extreme sports could be an interesting way to introduce young viewers to the documentary format. A group of disaffected teens in the 1970s created a cultural phenomenon still reverberating today. Brief drug references and occasional profanity, but that’s the fallout of these mean streets. Above all, there are lessons here about fulfilling dreams and potential that any child could use.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” (PG) – Students with an interest in theater arts may be interested in this frothy adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s stage play. Other children likely will be bored by the romantic entanglements among London’s upper crust. The production is too proper to resort to profanity, nudity or violence, with only brief hints of sexual sparks among the aristocrats.
“Like Mike” (PG) – The family-friendliness of Lil’ Bow Wow’s movie debut gets smudged a bit by two scenes: a reckless climb on an electrical power line during a lightning storm and a prescription drug switcheroo leading to illegal use of a motor vehicle. The rest of the movie is predictable fluff punctuated by cameo appearances by pro basketball stars such as Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd.
“Men in Black II” (PG-13) – Sequel to the 1997 hit reunites Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as intergalactic border patrol cops. Some creatures they encounter are nightmarish enough to upset small viewers, and the science fiction style of violence loudly substitutes alien goop for human blood. Mildly risque humor, and co-star Lara Flynn Boyle’s costumes leave little to prepubescent imaginations.
“Scooby-Doo” (PG) – The venerable cartoon series gets the big-screen treatment with live actors and a computer-generated Great Dane who likes Scooby snacks. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar will attract young viewers, and parents who tag along shouldn’t be embarrassed by the material. Some crude humor emerges, of course, plus some rude language and scary action as Scooby and the Mystery Machine gang chase zombies in an amusement park.
“Spider-Man” (PG-13) – Comic-book-style violence – loud, incendiary and occasionally gruesome – is the main concern for parents, whose children probably won’t be deterred from seeing Spidey on the big screen. Some scary images, including Willem Dafoe’s villainous Green Goblin makeup, but hardly nightmare material. More like daydreams.
“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” (PG) – Jedi warriors are back in full Force in the next chapter of the Skywalker saga, a more mature, violent movie than the childish fantasy of “Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Several sustained space battles contain explosive, occasionally gruesome violence, light-saber fights and scary creatures, and the intrigue behind the birth of the evil Empire may bore young children. Otherwise, it’s a cool way to spend a summer matinee.
Not recommended
“About a Boy” (PG-13) – Hugh Grant plays a philanderer lying to single mothers and persuading a boy (Nicholas Hoult) to pose as his son. Mature themes include suicide, single-parenting problems and arrested development. Minor profanity. Despite its young co-star, children won’t find much of interest in this comedy made for adults.
“Bad Company” (PG-13) – Chris Rock has a youthful following, so this spy thriller and occasional comedy may appeal to them. Rock, however, isn’t rolling at his HBO raunchiest here. The movie includes several episodes of violence and intense dread, plus a few sexually charged one-liners, and moderate profanity.
“The Bourne Identity” (PG-13) – Matt Damon plays an amnesia victim gradually becoming aware that he’s an assassination target. Mature spy themes don’t have much youth appeal, anyway, but the film contains moderate profanity and several intense episodes of violence.
“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” (PG-13) – Young boys won’t have much interest in a cross-generational story of mothers and daughters. Young girls who don’t already like the taste of “Fried Green Tomatoes” could also be bored. The PG-13 rating is due to mature themes, moderate profanity and brief sensuality, including a discreetly topless joyride scene.
“Enough” (PG-13) – Jennifer Lopez has plenty of young fans, but “Enough” may be too much for them to handle. J. Lo plays a viciously abused wife who retaliates with excessive force. The rating is due to “intense scenes of domestic violence, some sensuality and language.”
“Juwanna Mann” (PG-13) – Moderate profanity and sex-related humor earned the MPAA rating for this basketball comedy. The story involves a male player posing as a woman to continue his career in a professional league for females. Expect several naughty close calls in the locker room and sexual tension when Vivica A. Fox tempts the hero out of his disguise.
“Minority Report” (PG-13) – Only Steven Spielberg could get away with a PG-13 rating for such a tense, violent and thematically frightening film. It’s science fiction, which may attract young viewers, but the film’s vision of a future world where civil liberties are dispensable is too bleak and cerebral for some children. Mature themes include a parent’s worst nightmare, drug addiction and grisly humor. Brief sexual situations and profanity.
“Reign of Fire” (PG-13) – Fire-breathing dragons and their sweaty hunters battle through intensely violent sequences that could cause nightmares.
“The Sum of All Fears” (PG-13) – Young viewers aren’t the target audience for movies based on Tom Clancy’s CIA adventure novels. Much of this movie is more political talk than action, and the exciting parts depict the city of Baltimore under nuclear attack by terrorists, hardly a comforting thought for children these days. The disaster images may be troubling to some viewers. Other violence includes strangulation murder. Moderate profanity. Mild sensuality.
“Undercover Brother” (PG-13) – Occasionally raunchy spoof of blaxploitation movies from the 1970s, so children won’t get some of the best jokes anyway. Much of the humor is sexually charged, plus drug-abuse references and campy violence.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.shns.com. E-mail persall(at)sptimes.com.)
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