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
Agent Cody Banks: Destination London
(PG) - Sequel to last year's adventure of a teenage secret agent (Frankie Muniz) and his James Bond-style gadgets. Mild action violence a la Spy Kids, plus the bit of crude humor today's youth market demands.
Ella Enchanted F
(PG) - A fractured fairy tale based on Gail Carson Levine's popular novel. Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) plays a girl escaping a spell with the help of ogres and elves. Mildly rude humor and a couple of minor profanities shouldn't concern parents much in such a sweet-natured fantasy.
Home on the Range B-
(PG) - This Disney animated film is enjoyable if uninspired, a true "cartoon" for kids about heroic farm animals. Appropriate for all ages, it has little of the wink-wink innuendo that occasionally spices today's animated fare.
NASCAR 3-D: The IMAX Experience A
(PG) - There's nothing objectionable about this tribute to the popular auto racing sport, except perhaps a few glimpses of beer being guzzled by fans on the infield. A few crash sequences are intense, but nobody gets seriously hurt. Parents are cautioned that the IMAX sound system amplifies these 800-horsepower engines to a degree that could be damaging to the delicate ears of children. Earplugs are suggested.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
50 First Dates C+
(PG-13) - Adam Sandler's brand of sexual humor, crude gags and drug references is popular with young audiences and tame by Farrelly brothers standards. He teams again with The Wedding Singer co-star Drew Barrymore for a romantic comedy about a man wooing a woman with short-term memory loss. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
The Alamo B-
(PG-13) - Intense battle sequences are reasons for the MPAA rating, although the historical context makes that violence less worrisome for parents. If nothing else, the story of underdog Texans sacrificing lives for liberty in 1836 is stirring and may inspire research of the event.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
(PG) - Lindsay Lohan plays a 15-year-old enduring the trauma of moving from New York City to the wilds of New Jersey. Brief profanity, lying to parents and drunkenness by a rock star idol.
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
(PG-13) - Although it isn't likely to be as fondly remembered as 1987's original Dirty Dancing, this prequel with pretty people and peppy music will attract young viewers. The rating is due to "sensuality," mostly in the steamy salsa dance numbers.
Hidalgo B
(PG-13) - Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King star Viggo Mortensen plays a pony express rider taking his trusty horse, Hidalgo, to Saudi Arabia for a high-stakes desert race. The rating is the result of action violence and mild sexual innuendo.
The Prince & Me
(PG) - A college student (Julia Stiles) falls in love with a classmate (Luke Mably), unaware that he's a Danish prince. Brief sex-related material and profanity.
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed C
(PG) - The creatures are creepier than 2002's original Scooby-Doo, creating Ghostbusters-style havoc that could induce nightmares in young viewers. Includes mild profanity and rude humor aimed at grownups who loved the cartoon series in the 1970s.
NOT RECOMMENDED
Hellboy C+
(PG-13) - A demon (Ron Perlman playing another beast) raised by Nazis is rescued by the Allies and uses his super powers for good. Loads of sci-fi action violence and frightening images that may disturb young viewers.
Jersey Girl B
(PG-13) - Kevin Smith's first movie without an R rating still contains some of his bawdy humor. Moderate profanity, crude jokes and sexual tension between Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler were slightly toned down from the film's original R rating.
Starsky & Hutch D
(PG-13) - Comical remake of the 1970s television series is aimed at audiences who are now grownups. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson lampoon the detective duo in a film loaded with drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, profanity and violence.
Walking Tall C-
(PG-13) - MPAA members missed the boat with this rating. This remake of a 1973 film is very violent, with bones smashing and automatic weapons blazing. The bad guys busted by the new sheriff (the Rock) run a casino featuring sexy private dancers and drug dealing, with a crystal meth lab operating elsewhere. Moderate profanity, sexuality and none of the inspirational drama of the original.
The Whole Ten Yards F
(PG-13) - Sequel to 2000's The Whole Nine Yards, which was rated R for frontal nudity, harsh profanity and violence. A hit man (Bruce Willis) comes out of retirement to rescue the kidnapped wife of his former target (Matthew Perry). Sex, gunplay and naughty talk still figure into the comedy but have been toned down for wider audience appeal.
