From the Friday, Aug. 21 Oregonian....
Writer/director/producer/cinematographer/composer/caterer Robert Rodriguez likes to switch between making pulpy bloodbaths ("Sin City") and attention-deficit family flicks ("The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl"). "Shorts" is probably the best of his family flicks since the first "Spy Kids."
The premise is basically an excuse for Rodriguez to lob kitchen sinks: A rainbow-colored rock that grants wishes falls from the sky in a Texas suburb, and Rodriguez tells a handful of short stories (out of order, "Pulp Fiction"-style) about what happens when various townsfolk get a hold of that rock -- nerds, bullies, parents (Leslie Mann, Jon Cryer), germaphobes (including William H. Macy) and even the Steve Jobs-like head of a tech firm (James Spader).
Yes, there are modest lessons learned about the importance of friendship and turning off your iPhone every once in a while, but mostly it's an excuse for Rodriguez to play with robots, aliens, giant sentient boogers and upright-walking crocodiles. The humor is a mix of suburban-targeted, barn-broad, smart/dumb jokes about Pterodactyl poop and kids named after typefaces. (Personally, the movie kind of won me over when it introduced a Wednesday Addams-like brat named "Helvetica Black," then gave her a cool theme song.)
"Shorts" ain't Pixar or anything, and if you prefer your children's movies as fine art, I hear there's this new flick called "Ponyo." But Rodriguez exhibits a steadier hand here than he has on most of his other all-ages pictures. The kids are agreeably deadpan and smart, and there's something mildly clever in the way Rodriguez couches his time-hopping narrative structure as the result of a kid fast-forwarding and rewinding through the story. I'm not sure if parents will be counting out each of "Shorts"' 89 minutes or not, begging for it to end, but I'm guessing 8-year-olds will absolutely love it, because Rodriguez isn't talking down to them or using pop-culture references in place of actual gags; he's making what might be called eye-level children's entertainment.
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Grade: C-plus; 89 min., rated PG for mild action and some rude humor.
'Shorts' (The Oregonian, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009)
After reading some of these reviews I'm not sure its worth seeing in the theater. Thanks for the honest review.
Posted by: Brandy | August 22, 2009 at 08:08 PM
Hey Man, I really respect your blog, I looked at the preview and I think it's not something I'm going to look at because well the obvious reason is I'm 15 and I'm older than all these kids and the ones the movie is made for, but also because it seems like it is trying to be funny too hard with basically not that interesting of a plot. I mean there is a rock and everyone makes a funny wish, that's.. kids stuff. But not in a good way!
Do you have any movies you are definitely gonna go see this summer? It would be cool to see a list of what films you really love that are coming out right now. I respect ur opinion man.
Plum
Don't Be a Plum
Posted by: Plum | August 25, 2009 at 08:49 AM