“Finding Entertainment Appropriate for Kids,” or FEAK, runs every Friday and discusses places – mainly the movie theaters – where parents can look to find things for their kids to watch over the weekend.
No matter where you look this weekend, everything is about “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” People are talking about it, lining up to see it and fans, in general, are walking out satisfied. We reviewed the film (and so did our sister site Twirlit) and – long story short – fans will like it and it’s appropriate for your tween daughter. Younger girls might get scared at the imagery though and your sons will probably simply not relate.
So if you don’t want to see “New Moon” this weekend, luckily, there are actually other options. Good ones from the looks of it. With Thanksgiving later this week, Hollywood is rolling out the family friendly fare. Let’s see what is worth seeing.
First up is the animated film “Planet 51″ featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as an American astronaut who finds himself on an alien planet…and he, the human, is now the alien. Let the messages about accepting people who are different begin!
Well, the reviews of the film are decidedly mixed. Among the best are The Hollywood Reporter which said “Kids will enjoy the swift action and slapstick gags, and adult minders can chuckle at a few more suggestive jokes” but ultimately said that it’s not as ambitious or well rounded as some other fare because the aim is solely on kids. Roger Ebert also gave the film a mild 2.5/4 star thumbs up saying that “Although not bowling me over, ‘Planet 51′ is a jolly and good-looking animated feature in glorious 2-D.” Other reviews are down right venomous. The Los Angeles Times calls it “a missed opportunity” explaining that “‘Planet 51′ displays an almost criminal lack of curiosity about the small details that would bring its story to life.”
Still, with its PG rating “for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor” no one says the film isn’t totally appropriate for your kids.
Laced with slightly more mature themes, and also better reviews, is the Sandra Bullock vehicle “The Blind Side.” The film is based on the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless African American boy who is taken in by a wealthy Southern family and turned into an NFL prospect through hard work and family love.
The reviews are, by in large, positive for the film – though most seem to agree it’s basically just a better than average sports movie. “A feel-good crowd-pleaser, but it also drains the film of the kind of subtle nuances that might have separated it from other Hollywood Hallmark-like efforts,” said Glenn Whipp of The Associated Press. The Washington Post was pleasantly surprised by the film but also noted that “Depending on your lens, it either celebrates the colorblind society America should aspire to, or neatly elides issues about race and class that are so often distorted or ignored.”
And that might be a little to much for your kids to grasp. So take them if they like sports movies but don’t forget that the film is rated PG-13 for “one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references”
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is expanding further this week too and, if that’s playing, we highly recommend you check that out.
All in all, it’s a very good weekend to be a parent and take your child out to the movies. Plenty of choices, plenty of variety and even more to come next week.
