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"Bee Movie" (PG, 1 hr., 31 min.)
An independent-minded worker bee leaves the hive for adventure in the human world in "Bee Movie." Co-written and conceived by comic Jerry Seinfeld (he also voices the lead character), the computer-animated film looks shiny and bright, but is an odd mix of childlike whimsy and real-world irony that may leave many kids in the dust. There was considerable restlessness among kids at a preview The Family Filmgoer attended. The dialogue has plenty of Seinfeldian humor that will amuse teens and adults, but not necessarily coax laughter from kids between, say, 8 and 13, even though the movie is perfectly OK for them to see. It may be alternately a bit scary and a bit dull for under-8s. The script contains mild sexual innuendo, most of it couched in stinger jokes. There is also talk of bees who sting someone and die young -- part of the film's messages about keeping one's temper, life being short and the need to find one's bliss. In the dangerous human world, bee hero Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld) gets stuck on a tennis ball and slammed across the net, sucked into car engines and caught on a bug-filled windshield, where he meets a hip mosquito (droll Chris Rock). Someone tries to kill Barry by igniting deodorant spray with a cigarette lighter. We also see humans smoking. Worker bees test protective anti-human headgear, getting smacked down by shoes and fly swatters. There is a long, harrowing scene on an out-of-control plane.
The story of "Bee Movie" feels overconceived -- laboriously clever. The idea of restless young Barry B. Benson escaping the safety of New Hive City, tagging along with a squadron of large "pollen jock" bees to see the world, is perfectly understandable to kids. So is his decision to break a bee rule and talk to the pretty florist, Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), who stops her nasty boyfriend (Patrick Warburton) from smashing him after he lands in her apartment. But the film veers into tedious territory after Barry sees honey for sale at a supermarket and learns it is produced at honey farms where bees work like slaves and not in a utopian society like New Hive City. Outraged, he and his pal Adam (Matthew Broderick) sue humankind over the right to make honey. There's a trial (John Goodman makes the opposing lawyer sound like an old segregationist, except he's only talking about bees). All this carries little emotional or humorous weight for kids.
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"Martian Child" (PG, 1 hr., 48 min.)
The presence of star John Cusack and a strong cast lends weight and emotional resonance to this affecting story of a well-off widower who decides to adopt a troubled boy. Based in part on an autobiographical novella by David Gerrold, the film takes a dramatic but humor-laced look at the rocky road to father-son bonding between lonely science-fiction writer David (Cusack) and the orphaned boy Dennis (Bobby Coleman). Dennis was emotionally abused and abandoned, we learn, but we get few details. In a group foster home, he hides all day in a cardboard box, claiming fear of the sun and tells people he's from Mars. David, who was a loner as a kid and as an adult writes about alien worlds, feels he understands Dennis. He brings him sunglasses and sunscreen and gradually coaxes the boy out of his corrugated hideout. Advised by his married sister (Joan Cusack) not to take a child with problems, David does it anyway. The period of adjustment is rough. Dennis is more than haunted by memories -- he steals, doesn't sleep, shoots Polaroid photos all night, eats only Lucky Charms, and likes to hang upside-down. All this is nicely underplayed by the cast and director Menno Meyjes, which is why young kids 10 and older may feel an instant empathy for young Dennis. Only the movie's finale feels contrived to wring tears out of us. The rest of it works quite convincingly.
"Martian Child" contains mild sexual innuendo, including a remark by adults about being "great in bed" and an understated kiss. The dialogue includes rare mild profanity and the slur "retard." When David finally gets angry at Dennis, the boy's fear of being sent away is palpable. A beloved old pet dies off-camera, sparking an emotional scene. The issues of death, grief, and mental illness make the film a little intense for under-10s.
P.S. FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER: The idea of troubled kids and adults helping one another through rough bad memories and rough times isn't new. A wonderful book by Francis Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden," which was made into an excellent film (G, 1993), is about an orphaned girl in Victorian England who goes to live with an uncle still grieving over the death of his wife. She helps him and her invalid cousin rediscover the joys of life.
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BEYOND THE RATINGS GAME
-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:
"Bee Movie" PG (NEW) (A restless young worker bee, Barry B. Benson (voice of Jerry Seinfeld, who co-wrote and conceived of the film) ventures out of his utopian hive into the human world, befriends a florist (Renee Zellweger) and winds up suing humankind over the right to make honey in this colorfully imagined computer-animated feature. Unfortunately, its odd blend of childlike whimsy and Seinfeldian irony and that rather tedious lawsuit may not coax much laughter from 8 to 13-year-olds, though there's nothing they can't handle. The film could be alternately scary or dull for under-8s. Mild sexual innuendo couched in stinger jokes; talk of bees who sting and die; Barry gets stuck on a tennis ball and slammed across the net, sucked into car engines, caught on a bug-filled windshield; someone tries to kill him by igniting spray deodorant with a lighter; we see humans smoking; worker bees test protective headgear, getting smacked down by shoes and fly swatters; a long, harrowing scene on an out-of-control airplane. Multiple themes in "Bee Movie" focus on keeping your temper and remembering life is short, so follow your bliss.)
"The Game Plan" PG (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who's fine in action flicks, lumbers through this harmless but clumsy family comedy, as he tries to show emotional growth in his character. Kids 8 and older may be entertained, but adults will note the movie's utter artificiality. Johnson plays Joe, a star Boston quarterback whose selfish life goes kablooey after the 8-year-old daughter (Madison Pettis) he never knew he had shows up. Scenes gently imply footballers partying, with no details; mild hints that Joe has a girlfriend who stays overnight; a child's life-threatening food allergy; themes touch on a child's fear of abandonment, grief over a lost parent.)
-- OK FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:
"Martian Child" PG (NEW) (Star John Cusack and a strong cast bring weight and credibility to this affecting, but refreshingly unsentimental story (based on David Gerrold's autobiographical novella) of a widower, David (Cusack) -- a successful science-fiction writer -- who adopts a troubled boy of about 8, Dennis (Bobby Coleman). We learn Dennis was emotionally abused and abandoned, but with few details. He has to be coaxed out of a cardboard box and insists he is a Martian. His bizarre behavior challenges David, but the two eventually bond. Mild sexual innuendo; a remark between adults about being "great in bed"; an understated kiss; rare mild profanity; the slur "retard." When David gets angry at Dennis, the boy's fear of being sent away is palpable. A beloved old pet dies off-camera, sparking an emotional scene. Issues of grief and mental illness make this a little intense for under-10s.)
-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:
"Dan in Real Life" ("Dan in Real Life" boasts many of the delights of classic romantic comedy, even if it slathers on the preciousness a tad thick. Likably loony Steve Carell plays Dan, an advice columnist who has lived "like a monk" since the death of his wife. At a family gathering Dan falls shatteringly in love with his brother's (Dane Cook) girlfriend (Juliette Binoche) and spends a deliciously awkward weekend trying to not hurt him, lose her, or alienate his three mortified daughters. Themes deal verbally with grief over a death and pubescent teen sexual longing from the point of view of a petrified parent. Other elements include sexual innuendo involving adults -- suggestive dancing, references to masturbation, side-view toplessness in a shower -- and drinking. Not so much a treat for middle-schoolers as for high-schoolers and adults.)
"The Comebacks" (This utterly brainless spoof of corny sports films is more like a cable sitcom than a movie -- 90 minutes of breast and crotch jokes, crude sexual slang and tired ethnic stereotypes geared to anyone who giggles at smelly athletic cups, penis size and masturbation. David Koechner plays a moronic new coach at a Texas college who urges his players to flunk courses, drink and do drugs before their Toilet Bowl game against a prison team. The quarterback (Matthew Lawrence) practices his grip on the coach's daughter's (Brooke Nevin) breasts. Toss in profanity and homophobic humor. The movie's sexual crudeness in particular makes it a poor choice for middle-schoolers.)
"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" (A solid cast lends weight and elegance to this sudsy adult melodrama, based on a play by writer/director/actor Perry. It is just as preachy, but less free and funny than his earlier films (all PG-13s). Four African-American couples on a luxurious therapeutic retreat led by a psychologist (Janet Jackson) and her husband (Malik Yoba) unpack emotional baggage that wrecks the gathering. References to venereal disease, to having one's tubes tied; marital bedroom cuddles; adultery theme; sexual innuendo; mild profanity; talk of the death of a child; drinking. Not for middle-schoolers.)
-- R's:
"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (NEW; LIMITED RELEASE) (Veteran director Sidney Lumet, a master of modern morality tales, pulls no punches in this ugly but riveting parable of greed, stupidity and moral emptiness. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke play brothers, the younger (Hawke) drawn into a ridiculous scheme by his drug-addicted older sibling (Hoffman) -- a plan to rob their parents' (Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris) suburban jewelry store. Intended to be nonviolent and foolproof, it goes horribly wrong. Bloody point-blank gun deaths; drug use; drinking; smoking; strong profanity; homophobic slurs; steamy but nonexplicit sexual situations; seminudity. Not for under-17s; more for college-age film buffs and adults.)
"30 Days of Night" (Chalk-faced vampires with razor-teeth chomp on necks in this smart, strikingly designed horror film, based on graphic novels by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith. It is not for under-16s, or anyone whose stomach churns at decapitations, ax-killings, skull-crushings or point-blank gun deaths. A vampire child is killed off-camera, and we learn a man has killed his family to protect them. Josh Hartnett plays a sheriff in far-north Barrow, Alaska. Just as the frontier town battens down for a month of no sunlight, a posse of vampires (led by a creepy Danny Huston; Ben Foster as their advance scout) appears. The law man, his estranged wife (Melissa George) and other townsfolk must try to survive. The film includes strong profanity, milder sexual innuendo and drinking.)
"Gone Baby Gone" (This terrifically acted crime thriller (based on Dennis Lehane's book), directed with art, grit and hometown insight by Boston boy Ben Affleck (proving you can't judge a star by his duds, be they Armani or cinematic) is not for high-schoolers under 16. The topic -- child abduction, implied sexual abuse and murder (none of that on-camera) -- is grimly adult, the ethical issues tricky, the on-screen violence intense and the script seething with sexual and other profanity. We briefly see a dead child. Characters abuse drugs, drink and use racial and homophobic slurs. Ben's kid brother Casey holds the screen as private eye Patrick Kenzie, who, with his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan), investigates the abduction in Patrick's old neighborhood of a drug-addled woman's (Amy Ryan) child. They must work with the cops (Ed Harris, John Ashton, Morgan Freeman as their captain) on the case. 16 and up.)
"Sleuth" (LIMITED RELEASE) (Michael Caine returns to an old hit in this remake of the 1972 film (based on Anthony Shaffer's play), this time taking the role of the older man (played by Laurence Olivier in the first film). "Sleuth" is a cat-and-mouse duet between a wealthy author and the handsome young actor-hairdresser (Jude Law, in Caine's old role) with whom the author's wife is having an affair. As directed by Kenneth Branagh, this update proves surprisingly stagey and dull, despite its stars, a profane new screenplay by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and a semi-lurid homosexual subtext in Act 2. The old version was even stagier and rather prim, but lots more fun.)
"Michael Clayton" (Writer/director Tony Gilroy's stunning morality tale is a boardroom drama made epic with sharp dialogue, inspired symbolism, clever time manipulation and great acting; George Clooney stars as a law firm's "fixer" struggling with personal issues when asked to clean up a mess made by a senior litigator (Tom Wilkinson) who decides the firm is on the wrong side of a pollution suit against a client company, whose general counsel (Tilda Swinton) is desperate to settle the case. Strong profanity; sexual language; a bloodless murder; a car bomb; theme about divorce, alienation from one's kids; drinking; drug references. OK for thoughtful teens 16 and older.)
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