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Family Movie Guide
By STEVE PERSALL, Times Film Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 14, 2002
The Family Movie Guide should be used along with the Motion Picture Association of America rating system for selecting movies suitable for children. Only films rated G, PG or PG-13 are included in this weekly listing, along with occasional R-rated films that may have entertainment or educational value for older children with parental guidance. Compiled by St. Petersburg Times film critic Steve Persall.
RECOMMENDED
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie B
(G) -- A Christian-oriented film with computer-animated vegetables spreading the Gospel. The story of Jonah and the whale becomes a kiddie's delight for about an hour until restlessness sets in. Any objectionable material is based solely on the viewer's theological beliefs.
The Santa Clause 2 B-
(G) -- Tim Allen returns as a divorced father contracted to be Santa Claus, with a codicil for the sequel: He must get married. Nothing objectionable to report, since Disney keeps things squeaky-clean.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
Bowling for Columbine A
(R) -- Rarely does an R-rated film make the Family Movie Guide, but Michael Moore's provocative documentary about America's gun violence is an exception. (Previous ones include Schindler's List and Get on the Bus.) Parents would be wise to see the film with teenagers and discuss Moore's slanted views on teen violence and gun control, offering contradictory information. Harsh profanity, mature themes and real-life footage of gun violence, including the Columbine High School shootings.
Brown Sugar B+
(PG-13) -- Standard romantic comedy conventions get a hip-hop twist. Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan play lifelong friends made for each other, although they won't admit it. Young viewers will appreciate the rap music backdrop with lyrics well within PG-13 boundaries. Brief sensuality; a few moderate profanities.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets B
(PG) -- Everyone's favorite junior wizard returns in the second film based on J.K. Rowling's popular book series. This time, Harry and his friends endure a scarier adventure than in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, featuring nightmare-inspiring creatures and malevolent adult authority figures. The film contains more intense violence, including Harry's bloody duel with a monster and an attacking tree. Harry's involvement with occult practices may concern some parents. The movie will also test the patience of small children with its 161-minute running time.
Sweet Home Alabama C+
(PG-13) -- Reese Witherspoon's popularity in the youth market will be a major draw for this romantic comedy. Parents shouldn't worry about the film's content, including minor profanity and crude humor; a few jokes are aimed at a gay character. Sensual tension is mild in Witherspoon's love triangle with Patrick Dempsey and Josh Lucas. Southerners may be offended by the film's Hee Haw attitude, an overused screen stereotype.
The Tuxedo D
(PG-13) -- Well, it's a Jackie Chan movie, so that means an abundance of martial arts mayhem. But Chan's style is funnier and more family-friendly than most action heroes'. Nothing graphic, just a bruising extension of the physical comedy of Chaplin and Keaton. Jennifer Love Hewitt adds sexual heat, plus some of the moderate profanity.
NOT RECOMMENDED
Abandon
(PG-13) -- Katie Holmes has plenty of young fans from her stint on the television series Dawson's Creek, but this grownup thriller about college campus murder may be too much for some parents to approve. The rating results from "drug and alcohol content, sexuality, some violence and language."
Barbershop B
(PG-13) -- This bawdy comedy skirted an R rating despite an abundance of profanity (including a few F-words), numerous punch lines based on sex and one scene of marijuana smoking. Some worthwhile lessons in accountability, fidelity and friendship shine through, but the remaining comedy may be unsettling to parents watching with children.
The Four Feathers C
(PG-13) -- Children may have little interest in a 19th century British colonial adventure, unless they're fans of co-stars Heath Ledger (A Knight's Tale) and Kate Hudson (Almost Famous). The PG-13 rating is due to "intense battle sequences, disturbing images, violence and some sensuality."
I Spy C
(PG-13) -- Young viewers won't appreciate that this is a remake of a 1960s television show starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp. The update features Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson as agents up to their holsters in action violence, seductive women and sexual banter. Moderate profanity.
Moonlight Mile B-
(PG-13) -- There are some heavy issues for young viewers to bear in Brad Silberling's household tragedy. The death of a daughter and the way grief manifests itself isn't child's play. Moderate profanity, sexual situations.
The Ring B+
(PG-13) -- This creepy horror flick is definitely not for children, with its nightmarish images and an unsavory subplot about child endangerment (and worse). Only minor profanity and brief sensuality, but this film might deserve an R rating.
The Truth About Charlie B-
(PG-13) -- Young viewers probably won't realize this is a remake of the 1966 movie Charade, which starred Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. (How many of them even know Grant and Hepburn?) Mark Wahlberg and Thandie Newton take over the roles as a widow learns her late husband had criminal ties. The MPAA rating results from violence, sexual content and brief nudity.
White Oleander B
(PG-13) -- Michelle Pfeiffer plays an imprisoned mother whose daughter (Alison Lohman) gets shuffled among foster homes. The rating is for "mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drugs, language, sexuality and violence."
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