Reel Life with Jane -- August 2011
by Jane Louise Boursaw
Apes on the move, ear candy for Gleeks, and the adventures of a few Spy Kids are on tap for August. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s new in theaters and on DVD/Blu-ray.
THE SMURFS
Reel Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Reels
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor and action
Released in Theaters: July 29, 2011 (2D & 3D)
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Raja Gosnell
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, Tim Gunn, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, Alan Cumming
Official Site: http://www.smurfhappens.com/
SYNOPSIS: Those tiny blue Smurfs are back in their very own feature film, and true to the 1980s cartoon, they’re still being chased by Gargamel and his cat Azrael. But when they tumble from their magical world smack dab into the middle of New York City, they have to figure out how to evade the evil wizard and get back to their village.
Sex/Nudity: A married couple holds hands, hugs and kisses briefly. The wife is pregnant, and baby references are woven throughout the movie (she gets an ultrasound). A girl Smurf stands over a subway grate a la Marilyn Monroe, and a male Smurf steps on the grate and makes a reference to cooling his private parts.
Violence/Gore: Cartoon violence, usually involving Gargamel chasing after the Smurfs. Gargamel puts his cat Azrael in harm’s way several times, then says, “Are you dead?” Gargamel destroys many homes in Smurf Village and chases the Smurfs into the forest. Azrael coughs up Smurf hair in a somewhat graphic manner. The Smurfs must cross busy streets in New York City, and in a climactic showdown with Gargamel, a few Smurfs are mildly injured. No blood is shown, though, and no one dies.
Profanity: A few uses of “damn” and “oh my God.” The entire movie riffs off the fact that “smurf” is used as an expletive: “smurf me,” “”smurf off,” and “you smurfin’ crossed the wrong smurf.” I’m not sure little ones need to be repeating all of that after they leave the theater.
Drugs/Alcohol: None.
Which Kids Will Like It?: Kids 7 and older who like CG-animated/live action movies with lots of action.
Will Parents Like It?: With the rampant potty humor and product placement, it’s a wonder they were able to fit a storyline in here. This movie took an innocent kids’ TV show and injected it with innuendos, one-liners, and crude jokes. There are better family movies out right now, starting with Kung Fu Panda 2 and Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
REVIEW: If you were a fan of the Smurfs TV series back in the 1980s, you might want to steer clear of this movie. In fact, even if you weren’t a fan, you might want to steer clear. Yes, the Smurfs are adorable. Yes, Neil Patrick Harris has a few funny moments. Yes, it’s cool hearing Jonathan Winters as the voice of Papa Smurf. But overall, the filmmakers rely way too heavily on crude humor, one-liners, and inappropriate references.
The story begins in the enchanted Smurf Village, where 100 of the blue, gnome-like creatures live in their little bubble of happiness. As they’re preparing for the Blue Moon Festival, the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and his cat Azrael plot to find and destroy the Smurfs’ home. He’s after their youth-preserving essence, though you might miss this fact if you’re not paying attention.
When Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Anton Yelchin) inadvertently leads Gargamel to the village, it appears that his evil plot might come to fruition. Until, that is, a Blue Moon vortex sucks in Clumsy, Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters), Gutsy (Alan Cumming), Grouchy (George Lopez), Brainy (Fred Armisen), and Smurfette (Katy Perry) and plops them smack in the middle of New York City’s Central Park, where cosmetics executive Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) is throwing a big party for his arrogant boss (Sofia Vergara).
Clumsy accidentally falls into one of Patrick’s boxes, and the other Smurfs follow him to the apartment where Patrick and his pregnant wife Grace (Jayma Mays) live. After their initial shock at seeing the tiny blue creatures, the couple realizes they’ll need to help the Smurfs evade Gargamel and return home.
If anyone could have done justice to bringing the popular 1980s cartoon to the big screen, it should have been Raja Gosnell, who also directed Never Been Kissed, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and two big-screen adaptations of Scooby-Doo. But alas, this movie suffers from a variety of irredeemable flaws, including a plot that was surely drafted in about two minutes, an overabundance of crude humor, and rampant product placement, including Samsung, M&Ms, Guitar Hero, Apple computers, Katy Perry’s song “I Kissed a Girl”… The list goes on.
Sure, there are a few laughs, like when the personality-named Smurfs joke about their relatives back in the village (“Nobody misses Passive-Aggressive Smurf”), and when Patrick begs them to stop singing that annoying happy song. There’s also an engaging subplot about Patrick embracing fatherhood. I guess when actors start having kids of their own, they start making kids’ movies. Elton John, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and Johnny Depp are just a few.
But unless you’re a major fan of all things Smurf, you can probably catch this one on DVD somewhere down the line. Because of the inappropriate content mentioned above, I don’t recommend it for kids younger than seven, even though its target audience should be much younger.
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Not yet rated; likely PG-13. In theaters 8/5. OK for kids 13+. Reel Preview: 3.5 out of 5 Reels. http://www.apeswillrise.com/
The apes look frighteningly real in this remake of 1972’s Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. That’s because the special effects and CGI apes were created by the genius minds at Weta Digital, the crew behind Avatar and Lord of the Rings. The movie is set in present-day San Francisco and involves a plot in which man’s experiments with genetic engineering lead to super-smart apes who conspire to wage war against humanity. This movie’s already taken some flack based on the trailer (if an ape is jumping towards a helicopter, how about just moving the ‘copter over a few feet?), but the CG effects really are stunning. Directed by Rupert Wyatt, it stars James Franco, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, and Andy Serkis (Gollum from Lord of the Rings) as Caesar the Ape.
GLEE LIVE! 3D!
Not yet rated; likely PG. In theaters 8/12. OK for kids 9+. Reel Preview: 3.5 out of 5 Reels. http://www.gleethemusic.com
Couldn’t get tickets to Glee’s North American tour? Here’s your chance to see it on the big screen in 3D (you’ll feel like you’re right there! Maybe…). Starring 14 members of the award-winning show’s cast and shot live during the summer tour, this movie includes performances of “Teenage Dream,” “Get it Right,” and the show’s anthem, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” among others. Lots of fun for Gleeks and music lovers alike.
THE HELP
PG-13 for thematic material. In theaters 8/12. OK for kids 13+. Reel Preview: 4.5 out of 5 Reels. http://www.thehelpmovie.com/
Based on the best-selling book by Kathryn Stockett, this touching film stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Viola Davis as Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer as Minny—three very different women in 1960s Mississippi who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk. The result? A remarkable sisterhood that gives them the courage to cross societal lines and bring the town face-to-face with the changing times. If you think a few people can’t make a big difference, this movie will offer some hope.
ONE DAY
PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, language, some violence, and substance abuse. In theaters 8/19. OK for kids 14+. Reel Preview: 3 out of 5 Reels. http://www.experienceoneday.com/
Adapted from the bestselling novel by David Nicholls, the story finds Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) meeting on the night of their college graduation—July 15, 1988. She’s a working-class girl who dreams of making the world a better place. He’s a wealthy charmer who dreams that the world will be his playground. For the next two decades, every July 15 reveals how the two are faring, as their friendship ebbs and flows with the passing years. I haven’t read the book, but I can guess how the movie ends. If so, all right: I don’t mind a nice romantic story now and then, and Hathaway and Sturgess seem like they’ll have great chemistry.
SPY KIDS 4: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
PG for mild action and rude humor. In theaters 8/19. OK for kids 8+. Reel Preview: 2.5 out of 5 Reels. http://spykidsmovie.net/
The Spy Kids movies have gotten worse with each sequel, but maybe there’s hope for this one. Directed by Robert Rodriguez (who helmed the previous three films), it stars Jessica Alba as Marissa Cortez Wilson, a woman who, unbeknownst to her famous spy-hunting reporter husband (Joel McHale), is actually a retired secret agent. Marissa is called back into action—along with her bickering ten-year-old twin stepkids—when the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) threatens to take over the planet. With the help of famous Spy Kids Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), the group attempts to restore order to the world. Of course, there will be plenty of awesome gadgets, along with appearances by cool castmates Antonio Banderas, Danny Trejo, and Ricky Gervais.
NEW ON DVD/BLU-RAY:
RIO
PG for mild off-color humor. On DVD/Blu-ray 8/2. OK for kids 6+. 4 out of 5 Reels. Buy on Amazon.
Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota who ends up in Rio de Janeiro in order to keep his species going. The bird he’s supposed to connect with is the fiercely independent Jewel (Anne Hathaway), but of course, it’s not love at first sight. Still, the birds find a way to work together and take down a few poachers in the process. Little kids will like the cute characters and colorful settings, and grownups will like the snappy music, cultural references, strong female characters, and environmental message about saving endangered species. Win-win. Read my full review in the April Reel Life With Jane column.
MARS NEEDS MOMS
PG for sci-fi action and peril. On DVD/Blu-ray 8/9. OK for kids 7+. 2.5 out of 5 Reels. Buy on Amazon.
Young Milo (voiced by Seth Green) is a typical kid, acting up and getting miffed about having to take out the trash. But when his mom (Joan Cusack) is kidnapped by Martians, Milo realizes he has to hop aboard that spaceship and rescue his mom. Thus begins one kid’s intergalactic adventure and friendship with Gribble (Dan Fogler), a chubby human with a cobbled-together space station on the Red Planet. When I reviewed the theatrical version—check it out in March’s Reel Life With Jane column—I said to wait for the DVD. It’s that time now, and I think it is worthy of a rental if your kids like space-action movies with cool special effects.
THE WIGGLES: UKULELE BABY!
Not rated. On DVD 8/9. OK for kids 3+. 4 out of 5 Reels. Buy on Amazon.
This DVD from the popular Wiggles features the sweet sound of ukuleles and palm trees in the distance. As a fun bonus, America’s favorite weatherman, Al Roker from NBC’s Today Show, is featured on the song “Thank You, Mr. Weatherman!” There’s a reason why the New York Times calls the Wiggles “the band that rocks the cradle” and why their performances in New York City, London, and their hometown of Sydney, Australia, are always sold out—their music is good, clean fun for little ones.
BAMBI II (SPECIAL EDITION)
Rated G. On DVD 9/23. OK for kids 5+. 4 out of 5 Reels. Buy on Amazon.
This “midquel” was released in 2006, but hits the shelves now in a special edition with plenty of bonus features. It actually takes places in the middle of the original film’s story, beginning soon after the death of Bambi’s mom. Don’t worry, though, you won’t have to re-live that trauma, as there are only gentle references to her passing. Bambi (voiced by Alexander Gould, Finding Nemo) is left in the care of his father, the Great Prince (Patrick Stewart), who faces the difficult task of raising a son while silently mourning his own loss. But weighty matters give way to springtime in the forest and charming scenes of the forest friends’ lessons in bravery. A strong soundtrack includes tunes by Martina McBride, Michelle Lewis, Alison Krauss, and Anthony Callea.
JANE’S REEL RATING SYSTEM
One Reel – Even the Force can’t save it.
Two Reels – Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels – Something to talk about.
Four Reels – You want the truth? Great flick!
Five Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.
Jane Boursaw is a family entertainment writer specializing in movies, TV and celebrities. Syndicate her family movie and TV reviews in your publication; visit her at Reel Life With Jane; follow her on Twitter ; become a friend on Facebook ; email jboursaw@charter.net.
