This feature is intended to help parents learn about movies their children might want to see.
Watching “Babe: Pig in the City” (G), it’s helpful to remember that violent threats have always been a part of fairy tales. This sequel to the surprise 1995 hit has received more criticism than expected for its scenes of beastly behavior from both humans and animals.
After Babe wins the National Sheepdog Competition and becomes a star, life gets hard on the farm. Babe journeys to the city to help his “human” Esme Hoggett (Magda Szubanski) save the farm from bankruptcy. Their adventures introduce Babe to a new cast of animals and characters that helps him learn valuable lessons about himself, life on the farm, and how a kind and steady heart can endure against darkness and evil.
While the new film lacks the original’s endearing simplicity, it should have enormous appeal for older kids. Younger children could be frightened by some of the more intense moments, while succumbing to the delights of watching a variety of animals speak their minds. A feline chorus and a trio of singing rodents are among the choice bits.
“Antz” (PG) — Woody Allen is Z-4195 in this computer-animated film about a worker ant who doesn’t like his place in life. With a sophisticated sense of humor and a smattering of bad language, “Antz” is aimed at children 8 and older. The animation is beautiful, and both young and old will probably be entertained.
“Beloved” (R) A transfixing, deeply felt adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel. Though it begins too slowly and literally, this daring effort escalates into a gripping, imaginative film that mixes memories of slavery with the occult. Oprah Winfrey plays her character, a onetime slave literally haunted by her past, with enough presence to hold the film together.
“A Bug’s Life” (G) — Flik is an ant with ideas, inventions and enthusiasm for making things better around the colony. When a greedy gang of grasshoppers and their evil leader, Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey), threaten to terrorize the colony for more food, Flik sets out to find bigger bugs to defend them. He unknowingly stumbles upon a group of circus performers and, thinking they’re warrior bugs, enlists their help.
“Holy Man” (PG) — The Eddie Murphy comedy comes on the heels of his “Dr. Dolittle” hit, and Jeff Goldblum is definitely a known quantity to young fans of dinosaur flicks. Adults may be intrigued by the idea of a home-shopping-network satire. But the sad reality is that kids of all ages will probably be bored by “Holy Man.” Murphy’s “Holy” role doesn’t play to his strengths.
“Home Fries” (PG-13) — Thematic elements (pregnancy, paranoia, revenge) and sexual humor make this offbeat comedy scripted by “The X-Files”‘ principal writer more appropriate for young adults than kids.
“The Imposters” (R) — This movie, about two unemployed actors (Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt) who stow away on a cruise ship, is done with the style of an old-fashioned comedy with pranks, pratfalls and lots of physical comedy. The material, however, is very modern and adult.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (PG) — Young fans of “Home Improvement” alumnus Jonathan Taylor Thomas should savor this silly family comedy about a college kid in a Santa suit trying to get home for Christmas without ID or money.
“Just Write” (PG-13) — This is a terrific date movie for older teens, who will enjoy the film’s insider view of Hollywood. Jeremy Piven stars as a tour bus driver who dreams of becoming a successful screenwriter. Sherilyn Fenn co-stars. The PG-13 rating is for occasional language and sexual innuendo.
“Madeline” (PG) — Reading a “Madeline” book with your child will enhance seeing this movie. Fans will best appreciate the way director Daisy von Scherler Mayer re-creates the world of “12 little girls in two straight lines.”
“Meet Joe Black” (PG-13) — This romantic fantasy features excellent performances, but the three-hour length and the death-related subject matter will challenge all but the most mature teens. Brad Pitt stars, and there’s one scene featuring partial nudity.
“The Mighty” (PG-13) — Young children may be frightened by a tale that deals frankly with the violence of bullies, the squalor of poverty and the burdens of chronic physical pain. But older and more mature children should find the friendship of crippled, brilliant Kevin and strong but slow Max memorably moving. Parents, too, should appreciate this inspirationally crafted movie that pays haunting homage to reading and the power of dreams.
“One True Thing” (R) — Ellen Gulden (Renee Zellweger) is a young investigative journalist focused on building her career in New York. When it’s discovered her mother has cancer, Ellen is asked to put her career on hold and come home to take care of her. Through the long ordeal she begins to see her parents (Meryl Streep and William Hurt) from an adult perspective, and in the process she comes to terms with her own life issues.
“Pleasantville” (PG-13) — Older teens will enjoy this comedic blend of idealism and cynicism, but younger children will be confused. When two kids of the liberated ’90s are swept into a television show of the repressed ’50s, there’s an abundance of sexual talk.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie” (G) — This should be the movie for kids too little for the sly humor of “Antz.” True, it’s a tad early to get into Christmas, but that shouldn’t bother the kiddies.
“The Rugrats Movie” — Kids, particularly those expecting a new sibling, should get a kick out of the first feature effort from the remarkable Rugrats franchise that’s already a hit on television, stage and local lunchboxes. Amid the wisecracks, perpetual 1-year-old Tommy Pickles learns to like his new brother, Dil.
“Simon Birch” (PG) — A plea for tolerance and good-heartedness is at the core of this drama, which should engage older kids. Youngsters may be upset by a scene of a school bus crash and by episodes depicting children’s mistreatment of those perceived as “misfits.” The film’s major relationship is a stalwart friendship between wise preteen dwarf Simon and his classmate Joe.
“The Waterboy” (PG-13) — Adam Sandler plays the water boy for a Louisiana college football team. He’s 31, lives with his mom (Kathy Bates) in the swamps and has never gone to school. After years of being made fun of, Bobby lets his anger out on one of the players, and Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) makes him the new linebacker for the team. The story has a heartfelt message about overcoming your circumstances, mixed with “Dumb and Dumber”-style humor.
“Without Limits” (PG-13) — The true story of long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his rise to fame. The story spans his high school years to the Olympics and ends with his death in 1975 at 24.
“What Dreams May Come” (PG-13) — Aspiring artists will love this romantic fantasy’s sweeping visuals, but younger children may be disturbed by scenes depicting a hellacious afterlife.
“The Wizard of Oz” (G) — This classic is no longer just a film. It’s an enchantment, a bit of Americana and the stuff of legend. Older kids and big people, reliving their childhoods, will find the digitally restored musical a blast of color and remastered stereo sound.
