0 for 2

I must really be a Grinch. I saw two kids' movies this weekend and hated both of them. On Saturday Julie was invited to a birthday party to see "Flushed Away," and she requested that I stay there with her. At least this one had the lovely Aardman animations (think Wallace and Gromit); unfortunately, it was just one long burp/fart joke, a confusing plot, and way too many singing leeches. (One would have been too much, if you ask me.) All of the music felt intrusive, in fact. A long, boring movie.

Then on Sunday we begged the kids to go see "Night at the Museum," but they insisted on "Happy Feet." Also known as "Robin Williams Playing All Roles." Enough, already, Robin. The animation was great, as we've come to expect, but this one was also long and dumb. And the opportunity to send a great environmental message was ruined, because it turned out that the humans wanted to save Antarctica only because all the penguins learned to tap-dance, not because it's the right thing to do. And again with the soundtrack! Music rammed down our ear canals in every scene, and I can do without penguins dancing and singing suggestively, thank you.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Comments

[TwoBusy]

Singing leeches? Color me intrigued.

[Karen]

They're singing, among other things, "Don't Worry, Be Happy." Need I say more?

[Risottogirl]

Yeah, the Flushed Away title SO suggested toilet or sewer stuff that I had to wonder about it.

Of course, since I have no kids, I can just keep wondering, never being forced to see this stuff.

I did hear good things about Happy Feet though ;)

[Karen]

My friend loved Happy Feet (granted, she took her son -- she didn't choose to see it herself), but I was rolling my eyes the whole time.

There are some good kids' movies, though. Pixar stuff is brilliant, like Finding Nemo -- although when I play the DVD at home, I skip the opening scene when Nemo's mother and sibling-eggs are all eaten by a barracuda. It is never again mentioned and adds nothing whatsoever to the plot. Disney movies just have to include a parental death at some point, so they must have wanted to get it out of the way right off the bat. ;-)
I also loved Toy Story 1 and 2 -- great fun for us older folks to remember all the old toys we had.

[Marie desJardins]

My 15-year-old daughter says this movie is the saddest movie she's ever seen -- just too many people (penguins) being mean too each other, and too many sad things happening. (This is my sensitive child who wept the whole way through "Spirited Away," and who I had to take ou of the theater partway through "Babe: Pig in the City" -- then go back in at the very end to prove that everything would, in fact, turn out OK...)

Not our favorite.