Family Film Reviews

NEW THIS WEEK

-- A CONSISTENTLY FUNNY, WILDLY COLORFUL ANIMATED 3-D FILM WITH A MESSAGE:

"RIO" G -- Kids 6 and older will have a lively, funny, educational (sorry, but it's true) time at "Rio," a 3-D animated delight about a rare macaw named Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg). We see Blu captured as a fledgling who falls from his nest in the Brazilian jungle. He's taken to the U.S. with other poached birds, but his box falls off a truck and he's rescued by a little girl, Linda. She grows into a sweet, bespectacled young woman (voice of Leslie Mann) with a little bookstore and the smart but flightless macaw as her devoted companion. (Blu talks, but not to humans -- only to himself or other creatures.) One day, Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), a nice ornithologist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, sees Blu in Linda's bookstore. He convinces Linda to bring Blu to Rio to mate him with a female macaw at his sanctuary in order to save the disappearing blue macaws. But once there, Blu is terrorized by the feisty female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), and then they're both kidnapped by poachers. Jewel and Blu must cooperate in order to escape, but they're chained together. Linda and Tulio try to find them, with the help of an orphaned boy, Fernando (Jake T. Austin). Meanwhile, Blu and Jewel, on the run, meet other hilarious and helpful feathered friends. It all climaxes in a Carnival parade.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The scenes in which the non-flying Blu and Jewel must escape capture by the evil cockatoo, Nigel, or the human bad guys, can be intense, with the fear of falling to earth, or crashing. There's also an injury. This story of rare birds held in awful conditions and then sold will touch the hearts of kids. We see a roomful of caged birds portrayed as in an old-fashioned insane asylum, with creatures pacing, or talking to themselves. Adults will catch the reference more than kids. The film does a beautiful and subtle job of hinting at the poverty in parts of Rio, through the orphan Fernando.

-- A CLEVER REBOOT OF THE OLD SLASHER-COMEDY SERIES:

"SCREAM 4" R -- High-school age slasher-flick fans who haven't caught up with the first three "Scream" movies on video (all Rs, released in 1996, 1997 and 2000) will judge this savvy update a bloody hoot on its own merits. In the smart-aleck "Scream" tradition, it's a slasher flick about slasher flicks and the people who love them. The prologue is particularly ingenious. It is definitely not for teens under high-school age. High-school horror buffs with parental permission and strong stomachs can handle it, though. It's worth noting, however, that the teen characters, all slasher film geeks, exhibit a disturbing sarcasm and emotional numbness in the face of "real" murder. "Scream" heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back in Woodsboro, selling a book about her experiences as the killer's longtime harassment target, yet lone survivor. Dewey (David Arquette) is now the sheriff, married to one-time TV reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who covered the earlier killings. The murders start again and the older characters are chilled, but Sidney's teen cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her pals (Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen) seem more thrilled.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The killings are very bloody, with sounds of the knife cutting into flesh. Only one of the murders qualifies as exceptionally gross, even for the genre. It features a blood-splattered room and a disemboweled victim. The realism of that murder scene briefly takes the film out of its humor/horror zone. The dialogue abounds in strong profanity, but has relatively mild sexual innuendo and semi-crude sexual slang. There are no sexual situations except for a kiss. Teen characters drink.

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-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:

"HOP" PG -- A zippy blend of live-action and animation with a surprisingly clever edge to its humor, "Hop" is a confection that will delight kids 8 and older. Kids between 6 and 8 will have fun, too, but miss a good bit of the humor. E.B. (voice of Russell Brand) is the wayward son of the reigning Easter Bunny on Rapa Nui/Easter Island in the South Pacific. But E.B. wants to be a rock drummer, not take over his dad's job supervising the making of candy for Easter baskets and delivering them around the world. So E.B. sneaks away to Los Angeles. Fred (James Marsden), an unemployed 30-something living with his parents, nearly runs him over. (In a prologue we learn that Fred, when he was a boy, actually saw the Easter Bunny, but has forgotten it.) Fred and E.B. eventually hit it off. Then E.B.'s dad sends the Pink Beret bunny squad to bring E.B. home. So E.B. and Fred go on the lam. Back on Rapa Nui, the evil chick Carlos (Hank Azaria) is plotting a coup to overthrow E.B.'s dad, and soon Fred and E.B. must enter that fray.

THE BOTTOM LINE: E.B. proves his authenticity to Fred by pooping jelly beans. The battle between the rebellious marshmallow chicks and the bunnies is mostly funny, but the militaristic minions of chicks and some of the aerial-style fighting could unsettle the youngest kids. The religious aspect of Easter is not dealt with at all.

"RANGO" PG -- Sharply funny and wildly inventive, this animated Western ought to charm kids 8 and older. With stunning visual depth, it looks like it's in 3-D, even though it isn't. A showbiz-crazy pet chameleon (voice of Johnny Depp) gets separated from his owners in a desert highway mishap. He wanders into a town called Dirt, populated by a wonderment of desert critters. Using his acting skills, he dubs himself Rango and becomes the new sheriff. After he discovers that Dirt's mayor, a wily turtle (Ned Beatty), may be part of a water-stealing plot, Rango must save the town, win over a cute girl lizard (Isla Fisher) and be a real hero. For most of its length, "Rango" abounds in rich slapstick and character humor for kids, and witty allusions to classic films for adults. But the battle at the end becomes a tad too violent for under-8s -- perhaps even for some 8-to-10s.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The PG rating is tested in the battle scene, when bad guys of indeterminate species fly in on huge, creepy bats. The dialogue makes repeated use of "hell," and has at least one "damn." But the excellent script is also rich in vocabulary words that adults can easily explain. The ending has a compelling message about conserving water.

-- FINE FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:

"DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES" PG -- Kids 10 and older (and some between 8 and 10) will surely have fun at this sequel, though it isn't nearly as effervescent as the first film ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid," PG, 2010). Still, like its predecessor, " ... Rodrick Rules" gains wit and charm from the periodic use of ink drawings and narration based on the books by Jeff Kinney that spawned the films. Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) heads into seventh grade, hoping to become more popular and hang out with the cute new girl (Peyton List). But Greg's pal Rowley (Robert Capron) remains sadly unhip, and his teen brother Rodrick (Devon Bostick) still delights in tormenting him. Rodrick throws a forbidden party while their parents are away and Greg agrees to keep Rodrick's transgression a secret. The movie's position on truth-telling versus tattling is a little vague.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Aside from gross-out humor -- bubble gum on a "recycled" pizza slice, a chocolate stain on the seat of Greg's pants -- the movie is squeaky-clean. Rodrick's party involves only soda pop and gulps of whipped cream. He uses black eyeliner when he drums with his band, but no drugs, liquor or smoking. A new band member is older, scruffier and spacier, but isn't shown imbibing anything. Greg and Rowley watch "The Foot," a scary movie about a severed foot that chases people.

-- PG-13s, AND A PG MORE FOR TEENS:

"SOUL SURFER" PG, but more for teens -- A heavy-handed, overlong blend of faith-based drama and real-life sports saga, "Soul Surfer" will appeal to some kids in middle-school and beyond, with its emotional, true-story elements and its impressive surfing footage. AnnaSophia Robb plays competitive surfer Bethany Hamilton, who as a teen lost an arm in a shark attack while surfing with friends off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Bethany's injury proves a test of faith and courage for her and her strongly Christian, surf-loving parents (Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt) and home-schooled siblings. Despite much difficulty, Bethany regains her ability to surf competitively. Country singer Carrie Underwood plays the leader of Bethany's church youth group. A trip with them to aid victims of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand proves an epiphany for Bethany. Yet the Thailand trip also embodies this movie at its sentimental worst. The anonymous tsunami victims seem there merely to help Bethany buck up.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The actual shark attack is portrayed very briefly and the biting off of Bethany's arm is not really seen. However, there is much blood in the water, and blood soaking through the makeshift bandage her friends use to bind the wound. After she heals, we see a stump (digitally created) just below shoulder level and a scar. Other grown-up elements include the emotional stress on Bethany and her family, and intense footage of surfing competitions.

"ARTHUR" -- The 1981 comedy hit "Arthur" (PG) was a near-perfect farce with heart -- heart which this far cruder remake lacks. The new "Arthur" is not unamusing, and some teens may find it fun, but it is not for preteens, and not great fare for all middle-schoolers, either. The crass sexual humor and the title character's perpetual drunkenness are both adult themes. Arthur's drinking is now so politically incorrect that the remake sends him to a couple of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Russell Brand plays Arthur, and while Brand is a talented actor-comedian, he is a chilly and distancing performer, which hurts the film. Arthur is a 30-something man-child. He's witty, promiscuous, and lives off his trust fund. Instead of the first film's acerbic butler, Arthur is now managed by his nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren). He drinks because he fears adult life. Forced by his family to get engaged to the tyrannical Susan (Jennifer Garner) or lose his money, he drinks even more. Then he meets Naomi (Greta Gerwig) as she's getting nicked by the cops for leading a tour of Grand Central Terminal without a license. It's love, but his family objects.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Besides Arthur's drunkenness, the film's adult elements include considerable strong sexual innuendo, nonexplicit sexual situations, and jokes hinting at kinky sexual encounters. The dialogue features midrange profanity, drug references, and toilet humor. Susan's thuggish dad (Nick Nolte) nearly cuts off Arthur's tongue with a table saw. There is a sad subplot about illness and death.

"SOURCE CODE" -- Ingeniously conceived and elegantly executed, "Source Code" will transfix teens who like thrillers that make smart use of real science and science fiction. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Colter Stevens, a war vet who wakes up on a train heading toward Chicago. His flirty seatmate Christina (Michelle Monaghan) seems to know him, but he doesn't know her. In the restroom, he doesn't know the face in the mirror -- then the train blows up. He awakens in a kind of capsule. Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), a military officer speaking via computer screen, tells Colter he will be sent "back in" to the train, and have another 8-minute window in which to prevent the explosion and find the bomber. Colter learns that he is part of an experiment in short-term time travel. Though his body was injured in war, his mind and spirit are being inserted, in 8-minute intervals, into someone else's body, so he can try to prevent the train bombing and stop a worse terror event intended for Chicago itself.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The film does not depict serious injuries. However, Gyllenhaal's character gets into rough and occasionally lethal fights. One passenger appears Middle-Eastern and the racial profiling issue comes up. The script includes occasional midrange profanity. The idea of a nuclear terror device going off near a major city is highly unsettling and chilling, and the film delves into the ethics of the experiment with Colter.

"HANNA" -- Though it's too violent for middle-schoolers, "Hanna" will literally transport high-schoolers who like brainy action flicks anchored by real emotion and fueled by intricate plots that explain mysteries enticingly slowly. Erik (Eric Bana) lives with his daugher Hanna (amazing Saoirse Ronan) in a remote cabin near the Arctic Circle. He's been training her as a teen assassin who can shoot, fight, hunt and survive on her own. Someone named Marissa (Cate Blanchett) will try to kill Hanna one day, for reasons not explained at first. Erik wants Hanna to kill Marissa first, and to decide when she's ready. Hanna flips a switch, which alerts Marissa of their whereabouts and the chase is on. The story takes Hanna to North Africa, where she befriends an eccentric British teen (Jessica Barden) and her family, then to Berlin. The lens work, editing, design and soundtrack all mesh in a fine, off-beat way.

THE BOTTOM LINE: "Hanna" goes well into R territory for the intensity and startling nature of its violence, with lethal point-blank shootings, neck-breaking fights, stabbings, and hangings. There are no graphic injuries, but blood definitely spatters. Hanna spears a deer early on, and later we see a dead, skinned rabbit or squirrel. The script contains occasional profanity, including the F-word, mild sexual innuendo, adult characters recalling youthful promiscuity, and teen characters discussing sexual experimentation. Sophie's parents can be heard having sex. Hanna and Sophie's friendship has a mild sexual subtext to it.

"INSIDIOUS" -- From the people who created the ultraviolent, sadistic "Saw" (all R-rated) series comes this attempt at scaring moviegoers with subtlety. Alas, teens may find "Insidious" sorta lame, though it's OK for them to see. It's as if creators Leigh Whannell and James Wan have gone from "Saw" to "Tweezers." Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh (Patrick Wilson) have just moved with their two young sons and a baby into a big old house. Immediately, there are odd noises. Then objects mysteriously relocate. Images of ghosts materialize fleetingly. Then their older son slips into an unexplained coma, and Josh's mother (Barbara Hershey) brings in a lady who deals with the spirit world. The reluctant Josh must cross over, braving angry and demonic entities to rescue his son. Teens who feel left flat by the cliched "Insidious" should check out the far cooler "Poltergeist" (PG, 1982).

THE BOTTOM LINE: The movie features rare midrange profanity, a chaste marital bedroom kiss, and, near the end, a moment of brief but intense though bloodless violence. The early seance-like encounters with the spirit world are noisy, but only marginally scary.

"SUCKER PUNCH" -- A messy mix of graphic-novel-style storytelling and video game action, "Sucker Punch" wangled a PG-13, but is not for middle-schoolers, or even some high-schoolers. It exploits the sexuality of female characters, while purporting to be about self-respect and freedom and never overcomes its snarled plot and smarmy atmospherics. In a lurid prologue, 20-year-old Babydoll (Emily Browning) accidentally shoots her younger sister while defending herself from a violent stepdad. He commits her to a grimy mental hospital and bribes an orderly to schedule Babydoll for a lobotomy. The film shifts abruptly into a fantasy world in which Babydoll finds herself in a brothel/nightclub, where young female patients are trained in erotic dancing and, it's strongly implied (though not shown), required to give sexual favors to male visitors. As she dances, Babydoll slips into a second plane of fantasy, in which a wise man/warrior (Scott Glenn) sends her into battle. She leads the other young women into battle, promising freedom.

THE BOTTOM LINE: "Sucker Punch" should be an R. The movie depicts lethal and realistically bloody stabbings, as well as intense battlefield mayhem with robotic warriors, fire-breathing dragons and bombs. Female characters are never shown in sexual situations and we never actually see Babydoll dance, but the implication is strong that they work as prostitutes and erotic dancers. They wear scanty costumes.

"LIMITLESS" -- Visually kicky and verbally smart, "Limitless" takes the idea of mind-focusing drugs and pushes it into sci-fi land. Since it's about drug addiction and has surprisingly tough violence for a PG-13, it is more for high-schoolers. Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a writer with writer's block. He's a slob and a daytime drinker. His girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) dumps him. Then he runs into his drug-dealing former brother-in-law, who offers him a little pill, stolen from a pharmaceutical lab, promising it'll sharpen his mind. Eddie takes it and in short order writes his novel, makes a killing on the stock market, slicks up his appearance, seduces women, and gets hired by a financial mogul (Robert De Niro). But Eddie's drug supply is finite, the side effects make him hallucinate, and he's tailed by loan sharks and cops. Maybe he should go back to aspirin.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The violence nears R territory, with high-caliber gunfire, stabbings, gashings, bone-cracking fights and much blood. Sexual situations are comically implied, with shots of entangled legs and the sound of moans, and there is a jokey reference to a condom. A suicide theme opens and closes the film, and one goon threatens to flay Eddie. Characters smoke, drink and use midrange profanity.

-- R's:

"YOUR HIGHNESS" -- Some high-schoolers may go for the frat-house humor in "Your Highness," a tedious spoof that dips into modern-day profanity, slang and sexual crudity to tell an adult fairy tale set in the Middle Ages -- a concept that rings too false to be funny. Lazy, selfish, cranky Thadeous (Danny McBride) envies his sweet-natured older brother, Prince Fabious (James Franco), because he's going to be king. An evil wizard (Justin Theroux) abducts Fabious' fiancee Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel). Thadeous has no interest in joining his brother on a quest to rescue her, but he goes, and thereby hangs this ragged tale. Along the way, they meet Isabel (Natalie Portman), a beautiful warrior on her own quest. What a waste of good actors.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Clearly geared to teenage and college guys, "Your Highness" won't destroy the morals of those under 17 if they see it, but most parents may find it inappropriate for them. It contains steaming profanity, crude sexual slang, less-than-graphic sexual situations, nudity and crass visual jokes about an animal's severed sex organ. The mayhem involves impalings with sword, spear and dagger, and wizards hurling lightning bolts.

"THE LINCOLN LAWYER" -- Juniors and seniors in high school, say, 16 and older, will be diverted and in no risk of having their moral compasses de-magnetized by this character-rich legal thriller. Matthew McConaughey crackles -- as does the terrific supporting cast -- as Mick Haller, a charming but sleazy defense attorney who uses his Lincoln Continental as his office and cuts deals for mugs who are usually guilty. He has good relations (including sexual) with his ex, Maggie (Marisa Tomei), a prosecutor, and shares custody of their daughter. A wealthy young man (Ryan Phillippe) hires Mick to clear him of a charge of attempted murder of a prostitute, but Mick finds in the case a secret that may force him to ethics-up and be a hero.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A relatively mild R, "The Lincoln Lawyer" uses stylized but disturbing crime re-enactments, shows bloodied murder victims and a lethal shoot-out. Mick and Maggie engage in a nongraphic but still steamy sexual situation. The story refers to drugs and prostitution, and the dialogue features strong profanity, crude sexual slang and a nasty homophobic slur. Characters smoke and drink.