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Review: Kid Flick 'Shorts' Comes Up Short
Silly Film Aimed At Nintendo Set
POSTED: 9:07 am CDT August 21, 2009
'Shorts' (PG)
(out of four)Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has the right idea. Kids' attention spans are short -- well, so are adults', for that matter -- so he wanted to make a movie that doesn't require complete focus for more than a few "episodes" at a time.The new film "Shorts" is as taxing on the mind as a Nintendo DS game. A game version related to the film is expected. Surprised?The film has all the usual messages for kids -- kids are smarter than adults, parents work too much, parents don't have time for kid angst, other kids can be meaner than adults, school is dull and living in fantasy is better than reality.Toby "Toe" Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) is the narrator, a nerd with braces so thick his morning ritual is about the longest endeavor undertaken in "Shorts." Toe's parents are workaholics like everyone else in the town of Black Falls. Their allegiance is to a company that makes the Black Box, an all-in-one gadget that can mimic a Blackberry then turn itself into a nose trimmer or dog groomer.The townspeople are afraid of the evil villain, Black Box inventor and CEO Carbon Black (James Spader), who is facing fierce competition from another ridiculous gadget. Black is so consumed by his company he doesn't realize that his son and daughter are the school bullies whose idea of fun is turning Toe upside into a garbage can.Everything changes with the discovery of a multi-colored wishing rock, and therein lies the theme of the movie: Be careful what you wish for. In the series of episodes, the rock falls into different hands, and usually the wishes don't come out exactly as the wisher had hoped, of course."Shorts" is definitely told through the eyes of a 10-year-old. Truth be told, Rodriguez's son, Rebel, came up with the "Shorts" idea a few years ago. Rebel has a co-starring role in the flick as Toe's sidekick, Lug.Jon Cryer, Leslie Mann and William H. Macy actually try to put their acting chops to good use and do their best with this childish camp, but adults in kids' films are supposed to be lame, anyway."Shorts" isn't much different than something you'd catch on the ABC Family channel. It's purely for the Nintendo set, who will find sophomoric humor in stories that involve boogers, an ongoing staring contest between two siblings, tiny aliens and a limitless supply of candy bars."Shorts" is sweet, but it's just a bit hollow on the inside.
(out of four)Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez has the right idea. Kids' attention spans are short -- well, so are adults', for that matter -- so he wanted to make a movie that doesn't require complete focus for more than a few "episodes" at a time.The new film "Shorts" is as taxing on the mind as a Nintendo DS game. A game version related to the film is expected. Surprised?The film has all the usual messages for kids -- kids are smarter than adults, parents work too much, parents don't have time for kid angst, other kids can be meaner than adults, school is dull and living in fantasy is better than reality.Toby "Toe" Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) is the narrator, a nerd with braces so thick his morning ritual is about the longest endeavor undertaken in "Shorts." Toe's parents are workaholics like everyone else in the town of Black Falls. Their allegiance is to a company that makes the Black Box, an all-in-one gadget that can mimic a Blackberry then turn itself into a nose trimmer or dog groomer.The townspeople are afraid of the evil villain, Black Box inventor and CEO Carbon Black (James Spader), who is facing fierce competition from another ridiculous gadget. Black is so consumed by his company he doesn't realize that his son and daughter are the school bullies whose idea of fun is turning Toe upside into a garbage can.Everything changes with the discovery of a multi-colored wishing rock, and therein lies the theme of the movie: Be careful what you wish for. In the series of episodes, the rock falls into different hands, and usually the wishes don't come out exactly as the wisher had hoped, of course."Shorts" is definitely told through the eyes of a 10-year-old. Truth be told, Rodriguez's son, Rebel, came up with the "Shorts" idea a few years ago. Rebel has a co-starring role in the flick as Toe's sidekick, Lug.Jon Cryer, Leslie Mann and William H. Macy actually try to put their acting chops to good use and do their best with this childish camp, but adults in kids' films are supposed to be lame, anyway."Shorts" isn't much different than something you'd catch on the ABC Family channel. It's purely for the Nintendo set, who will find sophomoric humor in stories that involve boogers, an ongoing staring contest between two siblings, tiny aliens and a limitless supply of candy bars."Shorts" is sweet, but it's just a bit hollow on the inside. Copyright 2009, Internet Broadcasting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
