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Family
Family movie guide
By Steve Persall, Times Film Critic
Published August 2, 2007
Suitable for families Underdog
(PG) - The 1960s cartoon is re-imagined in live action for a new generation. Occasional rude humor and language are common for talking animal fantasies.
Suitable for families,
with reservations
Becoming Jane: C+
(PG-13) - Anne Hathaway stars as Jane Austen in a portrait of the novelist as a young woman. Nothing offensive but slow pacing may lose children's interest while biographical inaccuracies will ruffle scholars.
Bratz: C
(PG) - Four teenage girls with "passion for fashion" already inspired dolls and TV cartoons. Now they're live action with only scant thematic elements to worry parents.
Hairspray: B+
(PG) - The first movie cited for "momentary" teen smoking under the MPAA's new guidelines. This bouncy musical also includes brief profanity and suggestive content in song and dance.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: B
(PG-13) - The fifth film in the series includes more intense fantasy violence and scary supernatural images that won't faze fans of J.K. Rowling's novels.
No Reservations: B-
(PG) - Bitterly competing chefs (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart) fall in love, leading to sensuality and mild profanity.
Ratatouille: C+
(G) - Not the usual Disney/Pixar animated romp for kids. More talk and less humor, and a few disturbing scenes, including a store selling dead rats.
The Simpsons Movie: B+
(PG-13) - After 18 years on television, parents should have a sense of the Simpsons' irreverent attitude toward families, religion, cultural diversity and authority. A few jokes that wouldn't sneak past TV watchdogs and Bart's brief nudity may offend.
Transformers: B-
(PG-13) - The toys and 'toons from the '80s get a makeover from director Michael Bay (Armageddon). Action violence among warring robots is more intense than before. Sexual suggestiveness and some profanity.
Not suitable
The Bourne Ultimatum: B-
(PG-13) - Robert Ludlum's spy games are too cerebral for many children's attention spans. The movie's intense action sequences and spasms of violence are aimed at adults.
Hot Rod
(PG-13) - Saturday Night Live's Andy Samburg stars as an accident-prone stunt motorcyclist. The MPAA rating is the result of "crude humor, language, some comic drug-related and violent content."
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry: C-
(PG-13) - Adam Sandler and Kevin James play firemen posing as gay partners for better work benefits. You can imagine the crude sexual content that ensues, plus profanity, drug abuse and comical nudity.
License to Wed
PG-13) - Robin Williams as a minister preparing an engaged couple (Mandy Moore, John Krasinski) for marriage leads to sexual jokes, irreverent takes on religion and profanity.
Live Free or Die Hard: B+
(PG-13) - Possibly the highest body count ever in a PG-13 action flick, though not too graphic. Strong profanity.
Rescue Dawn: A-
(PG-13) - Werner Herzog's fact-based story of Vietnam War prisoners attempting to escape includes intense war violence and POW torture.
Who's Your Caddy
(PG-13) - This hip-hop ripoff of Caddyshack includes crude and sexual content, nudity, profanity and drug content.
[Last modified July 31, 2007, 17:21:53]
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