After rather insistent pestering & pleas, I sat down with my kids to see Robert Rodriguez’s Shorts (released 2009). The kids laughed and seemed to enjoy it, so did my wife. The film has a non-linear story structure coupled with a storyline, which is not too boring! I must admit, much to the director’s credit that the cast & the narrative do manage to keep one’s interest in this otherwise ordinary film.Critically speaking, the movie lacks finesse and survives on a rather low-mid end effects and an over-simplistic script. Robert Rodriguez fails to capitalize on Jon Cryer, and Leslie Mann while wasting a very versatile actor in James Spader.
I find it hard to believe that anybody thinks this movie will be successful. Actually, it is going to be surprising if this movie really does well at the box office. It tries rather unsuccessfully to tag themes like wishful thinking, intra-personal communication, teamwork, parenting, brothers, bullies, and boogers into a film with the hope that any one device will work… the end is too didactic! I found some redeeming features in the portrayal of a child who emerges as the most intelligent being in the Black Fall community and saves the world (read as the film) from disaster.
However, the film can stake claim to having focused our attention on a rather talented child-actress, Jolie Vanier, who plays the female lead. I think this young eleven-year-old woman seems to have a great future.
In the end, it may be surmised that this movie is not suitable for anybody over ten. However, some adults (parents) are likely to give it a nod more for the clean sanitized script rather than for any other reason.
Jolie Vanier photograph taken from: http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTc5Mjk3MjU2OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODE0MzkyMg@@._V1._SX289_SY400_.jpg
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