What Parents Need to Know About What's New in Theaters: "Meet the Robinsons" and "Blades of Glory"

From a Common Sense Media press release, March 30, 2007.

What Parents Need to Know About What's New in Theaters: Meet the Robinsons and Blades of Glory

Two major studio releases hit theatres this weekend – one that will appeal to

the whole family (Meet the Robinsons from Disney), and one that will appeal to the 14-year-old boy in us all (Blades of Glory from DreamWorks)

“Your kids aged 10 and up are probably going to be asking to see Blades of Glory,” said Common Sense Media CEO Jim Steyer. “But know that it earns its PG-13 rating. It’s typically goofy Will Ferrell fare, with plenty of jokes about sex and drinking.”

“Based on a popular book, Meet the Robinsons is a fun family-picture that is age-appropriate for kids as young as 5,” Steyer said. “It probably doesn’t have as much in it for parents as The Incredibles did, but it’s still a good bet for entertainment everyone in the family can enjoy.”

 

Meet the Robinsons - G

Clever time-travel adventure for the whole clan.

Parents need to know that even very young children will dig this Disney animated adventure. The story revolves around Lewis, a genius orphan who can't seem to get adopted and who desperately wants to meet his real mother. There's a sense that he and his friends at the orphanage feel rejected -- he counts 124 couples he's met who don't end up adopting him. The movie's villains are a robotic bowler hat and the mysterious mustachioed man who wears it. The Bowler Hat Guy suffers from severe jealousy and bitterness, which is why he wants to ruin Lewis' future. But the future, as it turns out, is bright for all, even Lewis' nemesis.

Read the full review Common Sense Media review here

 

Blades of Glory - PG-13

Spandex, stereotypes, and Will Ferrell on ice.

Parents need to know that this Will Ferrell comedy has lots of verbal and sight jokes about sex, homosexuality, drinking, and drugs. There are goofy-but-sometimes-violent physical gags (like a decapitation that features obvious use of a mannequin and fake blood) and ads for sponsored products. Characters fight, get cut by skate blades, shoot harpoons (one hits a mascot in the head and scares screaming children), and do some painful-looking stunts on the ice (splits, falls, ice burns). Figure skating's "gay" image is mentioned repeatedly, especially when the two main characters team up to form a spandex-clad male-male pair who hold hands, perform lifts, and accidentally grab or kick each other's crotches. Chazz is drunk while performing for a kids' ice show, and Quaaludes are mentioned. Language includes repeated uses of "sucks," "damn," "s--t," and "ass."

Read the full Common Sense Media review here