Like Rodriguez’ other kids film, it’s made for kids, particularly young boys. “Shorts” was never made for adults in mind. Something along the lines of “Chowder” or “The Misadventures of Flapjack.” “SpongeBob SquarePants” is on a higher intellectual plane than “Shorts.”īut don’t take these comparisons as necessarily harsh criticisms. It’s hyper-kinetic, it’s goofy, it requires an attention span of no more than three seconds, it’s loaded with boogers and bathroom humor and its plot is practically incomprehensible to anyone who has gone through puberty. “Shorts” is cut from the same cloth as the latter “Spy Kids” films and “The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl.” Unlike other kids films that we’ve seen over the past year or so, like “G-Force” and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” “Shorts” has very little appeal for adults. Here is the perfect litmus test to decide whether you’re going to like “Shorts”: 1) write down your age 2) look at your age 3) if your age is more than 12, you won’t like it. While Tarantino is “killing Nah-zies” in his new film “Inglorious Basterds,” Rodriguez is going back to making movies for little kids with the film “Shorts.” Two years ago, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino released the exploitative splatterfest known as “Grindhouse.” Now, they are both dropping a movie on the same weekend, with almost no crossover audience whatsoever. Somewhere around the time a giant booger runs riot through the town, one wishes for a bit more adult supervision.ġ 1/2 stars (out of four) Cast:Rebel Rodriguez, Leo Howard, Trevor Gagnon, Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, James Spader, Leslie Mann, Jon Cryer, Jolie Vanier, William H.There’s a bit of history repeating itself with the movies being released this weekend. The director (who also, as usual, serves as writer, producer, co-editor, cinematographer and composer) draws heavily from his five children the idea of "Shorts" was dreamed up by his son, Rebel.īecause of his careful attention to his children's ideas - as well as his self-sufficient, independent filmmaking - a good spirit pervades "Shorts." But it becomes too cartoonish, too scattered to register much.
Rodriguez should be applauded for his intense effort to see the world from a young person's perspective. He curiously alternates between incredibly stylish, sometimes gory films ( "Desperado," "Sin City" ) and kids fare. Working on his own lot outside Austin, Texas, Rodriguez has previously made popular kids movies, most notably the "Spy Kids" trilogy. The smartest person in the movie is a baby, accidentally made sage by an errant wish. "Shorts," the parents are the ones filled with worry, obsessed with their jobs and tethered to technology.
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No one figures out the best way to use it, but one thing is clear: The kids know how to wish much better than the adults. Just about all the above characters at one point or another get their hands on the wishing rock. Noseworthy, who's so paranoid of germs that he and his son never leave their airtight, spotless house. Played by Leslie Mann and Jon Cryer, they fear losing their jobs at any moment and almost never put down their cell phones or laptops. Thompson's parents are among those who work for Black. In one of the film's highlights, Spader plays Black with a flip tyranny, threatening his workers in the pursuit of making the Black Box - a contraption that morphs into just about anything - to live up to "the highest standards of wow." Vanier plays her with a permanent Veruca Salt-esque scowl. He's tormented by a group led by Helvetica Black (Jolie Vanier), who must be one of the few characters named for a font. Our main character and narrator is Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett), a bullied but undaunted kid who prides himself on his spotless braces. And as tends to happen with such things (be they oil lamps or monkey paws), trouble ensues. The fancy cutting doesn't obscure that this family adventure film is essentially about a group of kids who end up with a "wishing rock," a rainbow-colored stone that grants the holder any wish. But the editing high jinks fail to do much for "Shorts." Rodriguez mashes up "Shorts," fast-forwarding, rewinding, pausing and following tangential story lines. NEW YORK - The basic structure of "Shorts" - advertised in its title - might make you think Robert Rodriguez has made the kids equivalent of "Pulp Fiction," the fractured narrative classic by his buddy and frequent collaborator, Quentin Tarantino.
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