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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2001
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.
Max Keeble's Big Move (PG) -- Disney's throwaway comedy includes a few crude sight gags, rude remarks and some bullying violence but nothing too offensive for family viewing.
Curse of the Jade Scorpion C+
(PG-13) -- Woody Allen's humor typically sails over the heads of children, and this 1940s gumshoe yarn is no exception. Mild profanity and no violence, sex or nudity, but Allen's knack for sexually suggestive one-liners is too mature for young viewers.
(PG-13) -- The movie that seems to have helped push Mariah Carey to a nervous breakdown. Carey plays a pop music singer on the rise in a sanitized take on the subject. Some sensuality and suggestive wordplay, brief violence and profanity that isn't as coarse as in real circumstances.
Hardball(PG-13) -- Keanu Reeves manages an inner-city youth league baseball team. The movie was originally rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America before some trims. Still some moderate profanity, street violence and mature themes to consider.
(PG-13) -- Don't let Stephen King's name in the credits worry you. This isn't a horror story, but a gentle coming-of-age tale along the lines of King's earlier surprise, Stand by Me. The rating is for "violence and thematic elements" including a bully-beating and suggested rape yet neither factor is strong enough to be objectionable. Slow pacing and a quiet demeanor may bore very young viewers.
(PG-13) -- Martial arts violence is the major sticking point for concerned parents, although it's performed in a mostly bloodless comic book fashion that can't be taken seriously or scarily. One scene includes mild sensuality. Subtitles may be bothersome to many children or else a fun reading tool.
(PG-13) -- Tim Burton's reinvention of the 1968 sci-fi classic contains more violence than the original, with some scenes rivaling the scary potential of Jurassic Park III. Mild profanity and a smidgen of sensuality.
(PG-13) -- Madcap blend of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Cannonball Run with ensemble loonies chasing $2-million in a cross-country race. Much of the humor is naughty, with moderate profanity and a few sexually themed punch lines. But they fly at the audience so quickly that young viewers may not notice. Brief nudity for laughs. Recommended for ages 13 and older.
Bandits C+
(PG-13) -- Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton make larceny seem like cool fun in this crime yarn. In addition to that dubious theme, the film includes moderate moderate profanity, sexual situations and graphic violence.
(PG-13) -- Saturday Night Live cut-up Chris Kattan plays a gangster's son infiltrating the FBI. Moderate profanity, crude sexual and drug-related humor.
(PG-13) -- Teen orphans enter the guardianship of family friends with something sinister in mind. Child endangerment and mistrust of supposedly loving authority figures are among the mature themes. Moderate profanity, violent tension and drug abuse.
Yet another version of Alexandre Dumas' swashbuckling classic, this time with intensely violent martial arts action sequences rivaling the mayhem of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. No profanity or nudity, but some lusty sexual situations that may make parents blush.
(PG-13) -- Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker team again for a crude-humored, violent cop adventure. Many of the jokes are steeped in racial stereotypes and sexism. Violence is mostly of the martial arts variety, with some gunfire and explosions. Moderate profanity, brief rear nudity and sexual situations, including a brothel visit.
(PG-13) -- Grown-up romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, featuring moderate profanity and one scene of sexuality. No nudity or violence.
(PG-13) -- This ghost story starring Nicole Kidman doesn't contain any violence, profanity or nudity, and only a brief bit of sensuality. But the plot hinges upon issues of child endangerment and mortality that could upset younger viewers. Slow pacing won't satisfy them, either, in a film that doesn't resort to cheap, crowd-pleasing shocks.
(PG-13) -- The R rating originally bestowed on Ben Stiller's comedy was appealed by Paramount Pictures, resulting in a PG-13 rating. The film still includes sexual content, drug references and a political assassination plot played for laughs.