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"The Tale of Despereaux" (G, 1 hr., 33 min.)

What luck, this holiday season, to have a richly imagined animated film to charm kids 6 and older without any jokey sops to pop culture. "The Tale of Despereaux," adapted from Kate DiCamillo's 2003 book, is set in a storybook Middle Ages. It is painterly and gorgeous, its dialogue voiced by gifted actors with wise narration by Sigourney Weaver. The writing is sprightly yet literary, the situations emotionally involving. There are scary bits throughout that could give under-6s the frights -- swarming rats threatening to eat the little mouse hero Despereaux (Matthew Broderick) and later a human princess; Despereaux falling into a dungeon, running a gantlet of mousetraps, being forced into an arena with a hungry cat to entertain the rat masses. All these end happily, but they are harrowing.

The movie is not without flaws. The plot occasionally veers afield as it condenses the book, with too many characters in different locales. Some of them turn bad quite suddenly and then redeem themselves later. It can be dizzying. But the ultimate message about the power of forgiveness nearly makes you forget -- and forgive -- that mid-movie confusion.

Set in the medieval kingdom of Dor, where delicious soup is a national obsession, the story begins as a rat named Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) gets off a ship and visits. Drawn by the aroma of soup, he gets too nosy and falls kerplunk into the queen's bowl. The queen dies of fright. To escape palace guards, Roscuro dives down a sewer and lands in the dungeon, also known as Rat World. Not a typical rat, he hates eating garbage and not seeing the sun. The grieving king outlaws soup and the land of Dor slips into a sunless funk. Meanwhile, behind a wall in Chef Andre's (Kevin Kline) kitchen, a little fellow named Despereaux is born in Mouse World. Much to his parents' chagrin, the cute undersized fellow with the huge ears grows up fearless. He refuses to cower or scurry. He likes to read tales of heroism, rather than eat the pages. He visits Princess Pea (Emma Watson, of "Harry Potter" fame), still sad for her mother, and befriends her. When Mouse World leaders hear Despereaux is consorting with humans, he's banished to the dungeon. There he and the lonely rat, Roscuro, bond over the idea of honor and heroism. Their courage is tested when an unhappy palace maid, Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), causes trouble. Complicated, yes, but well worth following to the finale.

"Yes Man" (PG-13, 1 hr., 45 min.)

There are moments of minor transcendence in this darkly comic parable, but too much of it smacks of a TV sitcom trying to be edgy, and on the big screen the wit feels strained and unfunny. Jim Carrey plays Carl, a divorced man so despondent over his lost relationship that three years after the fact he still says "no" to any social life and to life in general. His job as a loan officer at a bank gives him the chance to say "no" even more. His best friend Peter (Bradley Cooper) is losing patience, especially after Carl misses his engagement party.

Then Carl runs into an old work acquaintance (John Michael Higgins) who urges him to attend a motivational seminar all about saying "yes." The hypnotic speaker (Terence Stamp) homes in on Carl and gets him to commit to saying "yes" to everything. The moment looks like a secular revival meeting and Carrey exhibits a fine mix of tears and joy. Carl gives a homeless man cash and a lift, and right away his life starts to change. Out of gas and with a dead cell phone, Carl hikes to a gas station and immediately encounters a free-spirited woman named Allison (Zooey Deschanel) who sings in an alternative punk band and leads jogging/photography classes. Romance slowly blossoms. Carl says "yes" to Korean lessons, flying lessons, guitar lessons, and even signs up online to meet a potential Persian wife (Anna Khaja). All his "yeses" get him into trouble, of course.

"Yes Man" includes much drinking, some profanity and crude language, a strongly implied comic sexual situation involving Carl and an elderly woman -- which makes the film iffy for middle-schoolers -- other milder sexual innuendo, a bar fight, a suicide theme, and a car crash.

Beyond the Ratings Game: Movie Reviews for various ages

-- OK FOR KIDS 6 AND OLDER:

"The Tale of Despereaux" G (NEW) -- What luck, this holiday season, to have a richly imagined animated film to charm kids 6 and older. "The Tale of Despereaux," adapted from Kate DiCamillo's 2003 book, is set in a storybook Middle Ages. It is painterly and gorgeous and voiced by gifted actors. The writing is sprightly yet literary, the situations emotionally involving. There are scary bits that could give under-6s the frights -- swarming rats cheering for a cat to eat the little mouse hero Despereaux (Matthew Broderick) and later a human princess; Despereaux falling into a dungeon, running a gantlet of mousetraps. All these are harrowing, but end well. As the film condenses the book, it feels we're keeping track of too many characters, some of whom turn suddenly bad, which is dizzying. But the ultimate message about the power of forgiveness nearly makes you forget -- and forgive -- the confusion. A rat named Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) gets off a ship in the medieval kingdom of Dor, where soup is a national obsession. Drawn by the aroma in the palace, he falls kerplunk into the queen's bowl and the queen dies of fright. Roscuro dives into a dungeon to escape palace guards and lands in depressing Rat World. Above, the grieving king outlaws soup. Behind a wall in his sad soup chef's (Kevin Kline) kitchen, a fellow named Despereaux is born in Mouse World. The undersized cutie with extra-large ears grows up fearless. He likes to read tales of heroism and visits Princess Pea (Emma Watson, of "Harry Potter" fame), who misses her mother. When mouse leaders hear Despereaux is consorting with humans, he's banished to the dungeon. There he and the rat, Roscuro, bond over the idea of valor and their courage is soon tested.

"Bolt" PG -- If it weren't for a very funny hamster, "Bolt" wouldn't be much of a star in the universe of animated film. It's full of jokes that kids won't get and packs little emotional punch. Bolt (voice of John Travolta) is the canine star of a TV series who believes he's got real superpowers. When he's mistakenly shipped to New York in a crate, Bolt escapes and meets a smart-aleck street kitty named Mittens (Susie Essman) who treks back to Hollywood with him. But it's not much fun until they meet a hamster named Rhino (Mark Walton), who's a nerdy fan of Bolt's show. When Rhino is on-screen, "Bolt" is funny and kids stop fidgeting. Younger kids may worry when Bolt and his little-girl co-star Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus) are caught in a fire.

-- OK FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:

"Delgo" PG -- This animated tale can be quite visually stunning -- the fantasy creatures and color palette are a feast for the eye -- but the story's a jumble, the battles are dull and the jokes fall flat. The film is too violent for under-10s and too storybook for over-13s. Set in a distant time, "Delgo" is about two races of beings, the winged Nohrin who fly and the earthbound Lockni who have kinetic powers. The Nohrin and Lockni used to live in peace, but the Nohrin King's (voice of Louis Gossett Jr.) evil sister (the late Anne Bancroft) fomented a war. Now she plots to take her brother's throne and attack the Lockni again. Unaware of this, a Lockni teen named Delgo (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and a Nohrin princess, Kyla (Jennifer Love Hewitt), meet and try to overcome old grudges. Then a war begins and Kyla is abducted. Delgo must learn to trust a Nohrin general (Val Kilmer) in order to save Kyla and stop the war. There are implied sword impalements, a poisoning, someone falling to their death, and in a flashback little Delgo sees his parents murdered in war -- none of it graphic.

-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:

"Yes Man" (NEW) -- There are moments of minor transcendence in this darkly comic parable, but too much of it smacks of a TV sitcom trying to be edgy, and on the big screen the wit feels strained and unfunny. Jim Carrey plays Carl, a divorced man so despondent that he says "no" to any social life and to life in general. His job as a loan officer at a bank lets him say "no" even more. His best friend (Bradley Cooper) is fed up. Then Carl runs into an old acquaintance (John Michael Higgins) who urges him to attend a motivational seminar. The hypnotic speaker (Terence Stamp) gets Carl to commit to saying "yes" to everything and Carrey shows a fine mix of tears and joy at his "redemption." He gives a homeless man cash and a lift, and right away his life changes. He meets lovely Allison (Zooey Deschanel), who sings in an alternative band and leads jogging/photography classes. He says "yes" to Korean lessons, flying lessons, guitar lessons and more. All his "yeses" lead to some trouble, of course. "Yes Man" includes drinking, midrange profanity, a strongly implied sexual situation involving Carl and an elderly woman that makes the film iffy for middle-schoolers, other milder sexual innuendo, a bar fight, a suicide theme, and a car crash.

"Seven Pounds" (NEW) -- Teens who are moved by altruism may be drawn into "Seven Pounds," but they'll have to overlook the film's baldfaced manipulation and the syrupy glaze director Gabriele Muccino ("The Pursuit of Happyness," PG-13, 2006) adds to everything. Will Smith, looking desolate (all the characters represent emotions rather than people), plays tax man Ben Thomas. It becomes clear that Ben has a tragedy in his past and an agenda for the future. He seeks out people who have problems in their lives and who owe the government money. There's the blind, kindhearted salesman (Woody Harrelson), the abused wife (Elpidia Carrillo), the young cancer patient (Quintin Kelley) and, most especially, Emily (Rosario Dawson), who needs a heart transplant. The movie couldn't be more predictable. There is rare profanity, a gently implied sexual situation, a strong suicide theme and nongraphic flashbacks to a fatal car accident. Mature teens.

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" -- If teens want a chilling sci-fi experience, they should skip this poorly conceived, special-effects-laden remake and get ahold of the simple, scary 1951 version. In the original film, a spaceship landed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the humanoid Klaatu emerged to warn earthlings that unless they stopped making war, they would be obliterated to protect the universe. In 1951, with the Cold War and nuclear weapons testing, it really hit home. In the remake, the "spaceship" is an enormous glowing sphere that lands in New York's Central Park, and Klaatu sheds a weird outer layer before taking on the form of star Keanu Reeves. Yet with all the bells and whistles, this new version brings no sense that anything's really at stake, even as biologist Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) and her stepson (Jaden Smith) try to talk Klaatu into sparing humankind. One good thing: Klaatu's robot looks like the one in the first film, but is way cooler in its zapping powers. The film has scenes in which people are hurt or killed and there is some blood, as well as a graphic surgical incision. There are many nongraphic images of destruction. The idea of wiping out humanity could scare preteens.

"Nothing Like the Holidays" -- In the tired genre of films about bickering families at Christmas, this is a much-better-than-average example featuring a hugely talented cast of Latino actors and a script full of cultural -- particularly Puerto Rican -- touch points. The acting rises above cliches. We meet the Rodriguez clan of Chicago, led by patriarch Edy (Alfred Molina) and matriarch Anna (Elizabeth Pena). Their soldier son Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) is just back from Iraq and their lawyer son Mauricio (John Leguizamo) tries to make his parents reconcile after Anna announces she's divorcing Edy. Mauricio's wife (Debra Messing), the only outsider, tries to bond with her prickly mother-in-law. The film contains midrange profanity, sexual innuendo, a threat of gang violence, a fistfight, drinking and implied marijuana use. OK for teens.

"Doubt" (LIMITED RELEASE) -- High-schoolers who like stories rich in moral complexity to discuss on the way home ought to be pulled right into this atmospheric film. John Patrick Shanley has adapted and directed his prize-winning play for the screen. There's only one barnyard curse word and no sex scenes, but the theme is mature. Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, a cantankerous, opinionated principal of a Catholic grammar school in the Bronx, circa 1964. She suspects a new priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of molesting (though the word is never used) an altar boy (Joseph Foster), the only African-American child in the school, under the guise of befriending him. With a naive young nun (Amy Adams) in her corner, Sister Aloysius confronts the priest, who denies it utterly. A riveting battle of wills ensues. There is mention of the boy's father beating him. Priests smoke and drink, and a boy briefly smokes.

"Australia" -- Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman give big, starry performances to match director Baz Luhrmann's grandly entertaining film. Woven somberly into the tale is the historic mistreatment of Australian aboriginal people and mixed-race children. Set at the start of World War II, "Australia" is narrated by a half-indigenous/half-white boy named Nullah (excellent Brandon Walters), who recounts how Lady Sarah (Kidman) came to Australia from England to find her absent husband on the cattle ranch he had rashly purchased. She learns he's been murdered, so she sacks the corrupt ranch manager (David Wenham) and hires a free-spirited cowboy named Drover (Jackman). The film shows a man trampled to death, a bombing raid, rifle and spear killings, children in danger, and a boy's mother drowning, all nongraphic. There is drinking, smoking, an implied affair, hints that aboriginal women are sexually abused by white men, racial slurs and rare profanity. OK for teens.

"Four Christmases" -- It's hard to imagine teen audiences liking this sour holiday comedy about an insufferable couple forced to visit families they can't stand. Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon), both children of divorce, take luxury trips at Christmas to avoid their families. When their flight is canceled and their parents see them on a news story about travel delays, they're trapped. Their four compulsory visits include Brad's cynical dad (Robert Duvall) and macho siblings (Jon Favreau and Tim McGraw), and Kate's ultra-pious mom (Mary Steenburgen). Toss in the baby spit-up jokes and "Four Christmases" feels like eight. There is sexual innuendo, profanity, smoking, drinking, homophobic humor and a marijuana joke. Not so much for middle-schoolers.

"Twilight" -- Teens who love Stephanie Meyer's vampire books will find much to swoon over in this moody adaptation of the first novel. The Goth-inspired bloodsuckers strike too many fashion-model poses and the story verges on silliness at times, but more often "Twilight" is a poignant, occasionally thrilling meditation on the struggle between desire and restraint, love and sacrifice. Bella (Kristen Stewart) is attracted to her pale, sullen high-school classmate, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and learns he is a vampire. His "family" never drinks human blood -- they kill wildlife -- for moral reasons. Edward fears his passion for Bella will weaken his willpower. There is understated sexual innuendo and one ordinary kiss. A final battle against rogue vampires involves blood, but is more about gravity-defying martial arts. Other vampire attacks are very understated.

-- R's:

"Cadillac Records" (NEW; LIMITED RELEASE) -- The birth of rock 'n' roll plays out against charged relationships and tough city life in this terrific historically based film. "Cadillac Records" bristles with mood and music. It ought to enthrall high-schoolers interested in the people on whose shoulders today's music stars stand. Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) opens a club in Chicago in the late 1940s. Muddy Waters (wonderful Jeffrey Wright), a Mississippi field hand who sings and plays blues guitar, migrates north. Chess makes a hit record with Waters and starts Chess Records. Harmonica virtuoso Little Walter (Columbus Short) signs on, then songwriter Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer), then blues man Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker), then rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry (Mos Def), then Etta James (Beyonce Knowles who sings and acts at a new level). The landscape of American pop music shifts. The film includes profanity, racial slurs, fairly explicit sexual situations, partial nudity, occasional violence, drug use, drinking and smoking.

"Frost/Nixon" (LIMITED RELEASE) -- High-schoolers who don't love history and politics may yawn through "Frost/Nixon," though it's pretty fascinating stuff. Adapted from a hit play, the film delves into the making of a series of 1977 TV interviews in which David Frost questioned the disgraced former president, Richard Nixon. Director Ron Howard has turned the play into an upscale docudrama. Frost (Michael Sheen), a slick TV host and playboy, was deemed too much of a lightweight to get the wily Nixon (Frank Langella, jowly, deep-voiced, but not mimicking) to admit guilt in the Watergate scandal. That's where the film's tension lies. It has strong profanity, brief graphic footage of Cambodian victims of American bombing, smoking, drinking and sexual innuendo.

(c) 2008, Washington Post Writers Group.

This news arrived on: 12/19/2008

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