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
Bugs! A
(G) - What's better than IMAX-sized entertainment? IMAX with superior 3-D optical effects that make Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over seem like looking through a soft-drink bottle. Judi Dench narrates a 40-minute documentary about life cycles. Mild peril for a butterfly, and a few creepy moments when the bugs appear to be right in front of your face.
Freaky Friday B-
(PG) - Disney's remake of a 1976 comedy about mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) and daughter (Lindsay Lohan) switching identities is swell for the entire family, with only a few rude one-liners and mild thematic elements.
Ghosts of the Abyss B+
(G) - Titanic director James Cameron revisits that historic tragedy, filming an expedition to the ship's wreckage. The result is an exciting one-hour documentary in IMAX-sized proportions (but not shown at the Museum of Science and Industry in its original 3-D format). Moderate true-life tension.
Secondhand Lions B+
(PG) - The coming-of-age tale of a boy (Haley Joel Osment) and his ornery great-uncles (Robert Duvall, Michael Caine) is good, old-fashioned family entertainment. A few mature themes (a negligent parent, mortality, a hint of child endangerment) are handled with taste. Mildly crude remarks, plus a funny brawl, gunplay and flashbacks to French Foreign Legion action containing subdued violence. All of this is secondary to the good feelings left by the conclusion.
Step Into Liquid B
(Not rated, probably PG) - The documentary of surfing culture by Dana Brown (son of The Endless Summer director Bruce Brown) has plenty of breathtaking footage of dangerous waves and daredevils riding them. Nothing too scary, and the surfers profiled keep their conversations clean. Perhaps too esoteric for very young viewers, but good true-life entertainment.
Titanica
(Not rated, probably G) - The sunken remains of Titanic are explored with IMAX-sized detail in this 1995 documentary. Nothing objectionable, but maybe too deep for viewers under age 6.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
The Fighting Temptations C-
(PG-13) - Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles co-star in a comedy about raising the roof with gospel music. Some of the singers have shady pasts, however, leading to sexual content and boozing that might make a preacher blush.
Haunted Castle B
(PG) - Virtually an IMAX-sized video game set in a spooky mansion, but the frights are a bit more graphic than the usual large-screen entertainment. Glimpses of torture that include electrocution and flesh melting in a vat of acid could upset very young viewers. The plot also contains a sell-your-soul-to-the-devil theme that upset at least one religious group.
The RundownB
(PG-13) - Pro wrestling superstar the Rock is a popular action hero for young viewers. The Indiana Jones-style violence in his new movie shouldn't harm children accustomed to World Wrestling Entertainment matches on television and video games. Seann William Scott brings a bit of crudity from the American Pie trilogy.
School of Rock C-
(PG-13) - Jack Black's raucous brand of comedy normally isn't kids stuff, but it gets toned down a bit for him to play a rock musician posing as a prep school substitute teacher. Some crude humor and drug references fit his character's rock 'n' roll spirit but not the entertainment standards of some parents.
NOT RECOMMENDED
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star D
(PG-13) - David Spade's snide humor is seldom kid-friendly. The MPAA rating results from crude and sex-related humor, profanity and drug abuse.
Duplex D-
(PG-13) - Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play a Brooklyn couple living below a noisy, irritating senior citizen. Their answer to the problem - killing the old woman - isn't the kind of comedy some parents want children laughing at. The sexual content, profanity and violence cited by the MPAA ratings board are likely less offensive than the plot as a whole.
Matchstick MenB
(PG-13) - A father (Nicolas Cage) teaches his teenage daughter (Alison Lohman) how to run a big-bucks con. The MPAA rating results from thematic elements that make heroes of criminals, plus some violence, sexual content and profanity.
Out of TimeA-
(PG-13) - Denzel Washington stars as a Florida police chief framed for murder. The film was originally rated R before some material was trimmed. There's still enough sexual content, violence and profanity for the MPAA to note in its rating change decision.
Under the Tuscan Sun B-
(PG-13) - Probably not much childish interest in the story of a middle-aged woman's emotional and romantic rebirth while on a holiday in Italy. Occasional profanity and sexual situations are tame by PG-13 standards, but this is a film for grownups.
