Album Reviews
Movies
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

Family entertainment is an exceedingly difficult thing to produce. I, of course, am not referring to the low-brow, empty-headed fare that passes for entertainment during tv's "family hour." That only requires you to target the six-year-old market and those who like their entertainment devoid of subtlety.

If you want the entire family to enjoy themselves, however, that's a much more difficult undertaking. For it requires that the television show, movie, play, etc.,  work on a number of levels. The story has to be simple
enough for a child to understand but subtle enough so as not to bore the parents. The humor has to be broad, even stupid, so the kids can bust a gut but sophisticated in a way that adults can appreciate. The characters have to be transparent and yet deep, the message true no matter where you are in life. That's a tall order. When I was a kid, the Bugs Bunny cartoons (especially those of the genius director Chuck Jones) and elements of Sesame Street (which I find highly entertaining even now) worked in that way. Today, only the Pixar films (Toy Story, A Bug's Life) and The Simpsons consistently embody those qualities, and even the latter might be a little too adult.

It's worth noting, then, that two summer movies come awfully close to fulfilling the label of true family entertainment. My favorite of the two, Spy Kids 2, is a sequel to one of last year's real surprises. Directed by
indie director Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn), the first Spy Kids was a breath of fresh air in live-action kids movies. It starred Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as two secret agents who are captured by the evil Fegan Floop (played by Alan Cumming). And it's up to their resourceful kids, Carmen and Juni (played by the delightful Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara), to save them.

In this latest installment (one more sequel is planned), Carmen and Juni head to a deserted, volcanic island to retrieve a device called a Transmooker. There they must find the mysterious Dr. Romero (Steve Buscemi), do battle with his bizarre creations, and outwit their snotty, little-spy counterparts, Gary and Gertie Giggles (played by the very blonde Matthew O'Leary and Emily Osment). The problem is that Carmen and Juni have gone on this mission without permission, so their parents are hot on their trail.

One of the great things about the original Spy Kids was the sheer inventiveness of the spy gadgets and production design. That's even more true of the sequel. It features an elaborate treehouse with disappearing
chairs and cool telecommunication equipment, fantastic creatures reminiscent of the classic Harryhausen movies, a four-hour fall that echoes Alice in Wonderland, and the coolest pair of sea dragons you're likely to see in a long time. Though Steve Buscemi can't match the inspired lunacy of Alan Cumming, his secret lair is just as striking. Check out the miniature version of the island he has stashed in the back room.

The sly humor also returns from the original. Clever puns abound (one of Romero's creations is a spider monkey--the top half is a monkey, the bottom is a spider), and Antonio Banderas is marvelously self-deprecating. The moment when he puts on his little mustache is fantastic. In fact, Antonio should really give up the macho, action movies he's known for (the preview for the upcoming Ecks vs. Sever is depressing) and focus on roles that emphasize his considerable comic ability.

Unfortunately, the touching and realistic family dynamics of the first movie aren't as prevalent in this one. Part of that is because the kids and parents are rarely on screen together, but even the siblings seem more movie-like and less realistic this time around. The little jabs sisters and brothers routinely trade are largely missing, as are the moments of genuine connection. Furthermore, the movie's action is practically non-stop once Carmen and Juni reach the island. In that sense, the movie has become more of a kids' movie (most of my sixth-grade students liked this version better, specifically for that reason), but it's not as satisfying for this
adult.

The first 45 minutes of Lilo & Stitch, Disney's latest animated feature, might be one of my favorite sequences in any family movie since 1999's Tarzan. There are two reasons for that: Lilo and Stitch. Lilo is a little girl from Hawaii. Like all great child heroes, she's something of a misfit--never fitting in with the other girls despite her best efforts. She's a little too weird (she feeds peanut butter sandwiches to fish), a little too feisty. She lives at home with her much older sister (as with so many child heroes, her parents died in a tragic accident), whom she both fights with and loves in equal measure. Stitch, on the other hand, is not a hero at all. He's a mischievous blue alien who's been banished from his planet for his destructive tendencies. Unfortunately, his spacecraft is misdirected to Earth, where he hopes to wreck havoc. The problem is that he's not terribly effective, and instead is caged at a local dog pound, where he's adopted by Lilo, who clearly hasn't seen very many dogs in her life.

The relationship between these two is priceless. At first, Stitch just wants to destroy everything around them, and in part succeeds. But Lilo's dogged perseverance (sorry, I couldn't help it) slowly but surely changes her strange pet. If that sounds all too typical in this type of movie, you'd be right, but that would overlook the marvelous complexities of both the characters and their friendship. Stitch's animators deserve some kind of award. He's both unique and warmly familiar; his facial expressions are marvelous, whether he's angry, happy, sad, or confused. He is captivating when he's going on a rampage and yet strangely compelling as he learns about family. There's a deeply moving moment when Lilo reads Stitch the story of The Ugly Duckling. He takes the book into the middle of the forest and waits for "his family" to find him and accept him. My eyes well up just thinking about it.

The credit for Lilo's fantastic character goes to the movie's writers, Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois (both of whom also directed), and eleven-year-old Daveigh Chase, who does Lilo's voice. This little girl who listens to Elvis records for comfort, who desperately wants to do the hula dance so she can fit in, and who tries her best to help her sister but often fails is delightful. She's a joy to watch, and I wanted her story to go on and on, just so I could learn more about her.

Unfortunately, the movie shifts focus in its last half hour from Lilo and Stitch's growing friendship to a clunky and loud chase sequence involving a social worker and a number of aliens. Spaceships fly, things explode,
aliens zoom and fire ray guns. It's typical kids fare and a disappointingly dramatic shift from what's come before. It's as if the directors were afraid the kids wouldn't pay attention if they only made a movie about
friendship and trust, so instead we have to have our fill of video-game violence, admittedly of the soft-PG variety. What starts out as great family entertainment ends up as a solid kids' movie, a reminder that the
latter is much easier to make than the former.   

J. Robert Parks 8/29/2002