Comedy
Comedy movie reviews
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Review
In the beginning of the movie we see a recap of the 1st movie(how Alex is separated from his family, he goes from Africa to Central Park Zoo). When the story starts the four main characters are in Madagascar ready to board a broken down plane to New York. They don’t make it far, end up in the plains of Africa,( in the middle of an animal reserve where Alex’s mom and dad live). Many surprises happen there, good and bad.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: February 6, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 5+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
Like the first one, the movie highlights the importance of friendship. I read a review by David Schwimmer(voice of Giraffe). He said a question that was being raised throughout the film was: “What is the definition of home? Is it Manhattan? Is it Africa? Is it Madagascar?” Home for those guys is each other. They’re loyal to each other. They have each other, that’s what counts.
After Alex is reunited with his mom and dad they discover how little he and his dad have in common. His dad learns to appreciate and respect his son. Alex is a dancer not a fighter. Main point is: value who you are, follow your dreams and be proud of who you are.
The four main characters have their own story(subplot).
Lion-(Alex) is trying to prove himself to his dad. Alex is named heir to the throne- if he can prove himself in a rite of passage that involves fighting another lion, he assumes it’s a dance contest.
Zebra-(Marty) Trying to find his individuality among a herd of zebras.
Hippo-(Gloria) looking for love. She meets Motto, Motto, which means hot, hot.
Giraffe(Melman) is in love with Gloria.
Sexual Content: Mild
- King Julian makes sexual comments such as “I’m a lady, which of you is attracted to me?’” (He’s wearing a coconut bra and skirt).
- Gloria says she wants to sign up for the breeding program. She and Moto Moto talk in low and sexy voices with each other.
Violent Content: Mild
- Lions battling each other.
- Humans are also stranded in Africa. A tough granny punches Alex, he steals her cell phone. Penguins attack the grandma.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- “Jeez, “heck,” darn” and “oh snap” are used in the movie. There’s name calling such as: “loser” and “stupid.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Gloria drinks wine, there are champagne glasses on the plane.
Overall there is good music, with colorful and vivid landscapes. A lot of detail in the animals, which kids will enjoy!
Little Fockers Review
This is the story about Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam Focker (Teri Polo), from Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers. In this third series Greg and Pam are busy arranging for their twin’s 5th birthday party, which means the in-laws will be coming for a visit. Pam’s dad, Jack (Robert De Niro) the ex-CIA , hard-nosed, very suspicious man, will be watching his son-in-law Greg the whole time, just waiting for him to make some sort of mistake. However, there’s more pressure this time with Jack’s visit. De Niro tells Greg of his plan to turn Greg into his successor as the head of the family, he calls him, “The Godfocker.” We now see how Greg has to live up to his new title, and how he handles the pressure from his father-in-law.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: April 5, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: Older teenagers
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: None
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
Talking Points:
The movie has an all star cast, to name a few; Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Owen Wilson and Jessica Alba. They were all funny at times and entertaining.
Dealing with in-laws can sometimes be difficult and uncomfortable. However, through all the comedy and slapstick humor in this movie, there is an underlying message of the importance of family, and fidelity. Hopefully, the message will get through to the viewers.
Sexual Content: Excessive
Throughout the whole movie there are sexual references and comments. For example:
- Much of the storyline is focused on Greg’s relationship with Andi (Jessica Alba), a cute, flirtatious, pharmaceutical rep.,who recruits Greg to be a spokesperson for Sustengo, an erectile dysfunction drug for men with heart problems. Of course with this drug there are many jokes and sexual references that kids don’t need to hear.
- Greg’s mom hosts a sex-therapy show, this was another source for sexual jokes in the movie, ones I won’t even mention on air.
Profanity: Moderate
With the family name Focker, that says enough right there. Many jokes were triggered with this name, while many other swear words were used as well.
Overall this was a predictable, entertaining movie with a lot slapstick humor throughout the movie. For people that have enjoyed the previous movies, they will most likely like this one too. Parents need to know the movie is filled with sexual references before sending their kids. I would say it’s okay for older teenagers.
Kung Fu Panda 2 Review
My dad used to say, “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” In this sequel to Kung Fu Panda, we see our favorite Panda, Po, going through a tough time, and eventually learning how to deal with it. Po (voice of Jack Black) is now a Dragon Warrior; which means that he, along with his kung fu friends, The Furious Five, are to protect the Valley of Peace. Initially things are great, and they are enjoying their new life, until they found out an evil villain named Shen (voice of Gary Oldman) plans to use a secret weapon to conquer China and ban martial arts. Now it’s up to Po and his friends to seek out this villain, and save Kung Fu. This is an entertaining, fun movie for the whole family.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: May 26, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points
Po and Shen (the evil villain) both have some insecurities from their past of which they are both dealing with. I don’t want to give too much of the story away, however, there are some lessons in the movie which could spark some great parent/ child conversations. To name a couple:
• In this movie, we’re told that your story may not have a happy beginning, (like Po’s), but it’s who you choose to be. Po learns a lot about how to handle certain hardships, and eventually says, “You gotta let go of that stuff from the past, because it just doesn’t matter.” A good reminder for kids as well as their parents.
• Po doesn’t have any special powers or strengths, he’s just a regular guy who is a good friend and a good son; he wants to do the right thing.
Po is an adorable, likable character, one that kids will be entertained by. Po see’s disturbing visions of his past. We see him as a crying baby, being abandoned by his parents. This was sad, and may also disturb some kids.
Sexual Content: Mild
• Parents be prepared for some questions. In one scene, Po asks his dad, (who’s a goose), where he came from. His dad tells him that geese come from eggs, and then says, “Don’t ask where the egg comes from.”
Violent Content: Moderate
There is a lot of violence in this PG movie. One reviewer compared this movie to a Road Runner cartoon, and then comments; “You get the idea of the level and kind of violence we’re talking about here.” I couldn’t agree more. The violence consists of:
• Characters being punched, kicked and hit, while doing a lot of kung fu moves.
• There are fireballs and cannonballs used in many scenes.
• There is a lot of slapstick violence, similar to cartoons.
Crude and Profane Language: Mild
• Words such as “idiot” and “fool” are used.
Overall I think most kids will enjoy this animated action comedy, which is geared towards kids. However, parents may get a little bored. One man was snoring in the theater. With the fun characters and light humor, this is a good movie for kids ages 5 and up. Having said that, I feel that parents need to know that if their kids are sensitive to violent scenes, it might not be for them.
Just Go With It Review
This is the story about a plastic surgeon named Danny (Adam Sandler). His pick up line is that he’s in a horrible marriage. These women feel sorry for him and jump at the opportunity to comfort him. However, things change when Danny meets Palmer, a beautiful 23 year old schoolteacher. He doesn’t want to lie to her, but when she finds his “fake wedding ring” a whole set of new lies begin. The only problem is that Palmer wants to meet his soon to be ex-wife. So Danny enlists his loyal assistant, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to be his pretend wife. The lies snowball and the Danny’s troubles accelerate, but in the end he comes to realize what’s really important.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: June 7, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 12+
Sexual Content: Moderate
Violent Content: None
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Moderate
See a clip of my review here, along with a review of Gnomeo and Juliet!
Talking Points:
I know many 8 to 12 year old kids that wanted to see this movie because of Adam Sandler. He’s funny, charming and great with the kids in the movie.
The characters in the film are very likable. Katherine’s kids (Danny’s pretend kids) were great actors, very funny, and entertaining for kids in the theater.
Sexual Content:
- Danny is a plastic surgeon, many sexual jokes are stemmed from his profession….enlargements of body parts was a constant joke throughout the film.
- There are many sexual references, which most likely the kids won’t understand.
Profane/Crude Language: Moderate
- The two kids in the film swear, which had kids in the theater laughing.
- Many crude jokes and a lot potty humor.
I interviewed kids and parents after the movie. They thought it was hilarious, however, most of them were Adam Sandler fans. One mom, who brought her 8 year son, said she wasn’t concerned about the inappropriate jokes, they went over her son’s head.
Overall this is an entertaining, fun movie. It’s not going to win an Oscar, and it’s not a deep, thought provoking movie; but it is a nice escape from our day to day concerns…… isn’t that why most people go the movies?
Imagine That Review
Evan, played by Eddie Murphy, is a financial executive who barely has time for his 7 year old daughter,Olivia, because he’s a workaholic, and focuses more on his computer, blackberry and business phone calls. When he’s faced with a challenge at work, he finds solutions to his problem in his daughters imaginary world. Olivia’s pretend friends come up with advice on which stocks her dad should buy and sell, and they’re always right. Evan eventually learns to loosen up at home, and has fun with his daughter, and her imaginary friends. He and his daughter end up developing a wonderful relationship.
Rating: Four out of five buckets
Release Date: October 6, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 6+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Talking Points:
I love the father-daughter relationship. Initially, Evan is a self-absorbed business man. He’s even upset with his estranged wife when he has to watch his daughter (Olivia) for a week. Eventually he realizes that Olivia matters more than his career, and at the end of the movie he’s even willing to sacrifice his career for a healthy relationship with his daughter.
There’s real warmth in the father-daughter scenes. Evan sings and dances with his daughter, and it’s really cute when he teaches her how to sing “All You Need Is Love.”
When Olivia develops a strong emotional bond with her father, she’s ready to throw out her security blanket(Goo-Gaa), and say goodbye to her imaginary friends.
Younger kids may get confused with Evan’s career problems and his relationship with his office competitor. It’s also very predicable, but the story is so charming and cute it doesn’t matter how predicable it is.
Sexual Content: Mild
- One character wears a form-fitting outfit.
Violent Content: Mild
- Slap stick silly violence. Children throw balls at Evan.
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
- H-word and “idiot” are used. Adults say, “crap” and “big ol butt.”
Drug and Alcohol Content: Mild
- Characters drink beer.
I interviewed kids ages 6 to 12 that all really liked it a lot. They liked Olivia.
Overall it’s a feel good, family friendly movie, with a sweet message about the importance of family. The movie stresses that work and a career are important, but spending quality time with your kids and spouse, are what matters most. I give it 4 buckets.