Review: Shorts (Robert Rodriguez’ family fantasy falls … short)

Movie: Shorts * Official Site	In Theaters: Aug. 21, 2009
Runtime: 89 minutes	Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and some rude humor	Gecko Rating:

I became a major fan of Robert Rodriguez after seeing one of his first films, “El Mariachi,” a violent, funny, uh, violent movie about a guitar player who finds a world of trouble while passing through a Mexican town. The movie gained notoriety for being extremely low-budget (he funded it by subjecting himself to experimental drug studies), and Rodriguez went on to become a great filmmaker with films like “Sin City” and “Grindhouse.”

Intermixed among the violent films are Rodriguez’ family movies like “Spy Kids” and “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” It’s always interesting to me that his career involves both of these types of films – violent adult movies and fantasy-based family movies. I think he really excels at the violent movies; the family movies are always a little too “out there” for me. Such is the case with “Shorts.”

I think I get what he’s trying to do. Create movies where the main characters are children (often times played by his own five kids) who get to live out their fantasies and have wonderful adventures. “Shorts” follows the story of Toby “Toe” Thompson (Jimmy Bennett), who lives in Black Hills, an industrial town run by tech tycoon Carbon Black (James Spader).

Toby is often the target of bullies, including Black’s daughter, Helvetica (Jolie Vanier) and her middle school gang. But things start to look up for Toby after he’s hit with a colorful rock that magically grants wishes — like a fortress protected by giant crocodiles or a never-ending supply of candy bars. But throughout the course of the movie, the rock lands in the hands of various townspeople, which is why it’s called “Shorts.” The story is told in five interrelated “shorts.”

It’s an interesting premise, but for some reason, this movie doesn’t work for me. I couldn’t even entice my kids – 12 and 15 – to see it with me (and kids often magically know whether a movie will be good or not – don’t ask me how), and I nearly dozed off a few times while watching it. The cast is great, including James Spader, William H. Macy, Kat Dennings, Leslie Mann, and Jon Cryer. And the CG animation is good, but not good enough to hold my attention. Plus, the shorts don’t really fit together all that well.

Oh, and there’s the gross-out humor involving the giant booger. It’s just … gross. I don’t think even kids who like that sort of stuff would like the giant booger. As for any sort of positive message? Yeah, I guess it’s there: working together to overcome obstacles, the importance of family, and be careful what you wish for.

In “short,” this might be an interesting movie to check out on DVD, but even then, I’m just not sure. There are plenty of other family movies that are both interesting and good, with positive messages that don’t involve giant boogers.

NOTES FOR PARENTS:

Sex/Nudity: A boy jokes that a girl picks on him because she likes him. Some flirting between characters, and a near kiss between an adult couple.

Violence/Gore: Lots of cartoonish violence for a PG movie. CG animation includes a large “booger” turning into a giant monster that chases a group of people. A character becomes robotic a la “Transformers.” The rock’s wishes cause monster rattlesnakes and crocodiles to appear and terrorize kids. Ongoing bullying, including a kid being pushed headfirst into a trashcan and having rocks thrown at him.

Profanity: Includes insults like “you suck,” “freak,” “loser,” and “lunkhead.”

Which Kids Will Like It? I’m really not sure. I sat near a group of 8- to 10-year-olds in the theater, and they didn’t seem any too amused by it.

Will Parents Like It? Not really. I’m guessing the target audience is tweens, but I doubt that most tweens would like it. I thought the movie was gross and boring, even with the animation.