New this week
‘Drillbit Taylor’
Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references and partial nudity.
What it’s about: Bullied middle-class high schoolers pool their cash to hire a bodyguard, who turns out to be a homeless con artist.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Smart-mouthed (and foul-mouthed) kids, Owen Wilson in droll doofus mode and a story line that will resonate with any high schooler — bullying.
Good lessons/bad lessons: At some point in life, you have to fight your own battles. And sometimes, reasoning with and understanding why a bully is a bully isn’t enough.
Violence: Some brutal beatdowns.
Language: Some profanity.
Sex: The homeless guy is hot for teacher.
Drugs: None.
Parents’ advisory: A somewhat crude and rude updating of that age-old teen movie theme, bullies and how to cope with them. Only the method and message are vintage “Andy Griffith Show.”
PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED
‘Dr. Seuss’ Horton
Hears a Who!’
Rating: G.
What it’s about: A nerdy elephant hears a noise from a tiny dust speck and comes to understand that there’s a whole civilization living there, one he must protect.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Lovely animation from the folks who made the “Ice Age” movies, and who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss?
Good lessons/bad lessons: Respecting life and other people’s opinions is almost as important as not accepting orthodox ideas just because “that’s the way things have always been.”
Violence: A vulture and assorted chimps try to do in the dust speck.
Language: Clean as Jim Carrey can make it.
Sex: None.
Drugs: None.
Parents’ advisory: The longer treatment of this Dr. Seuss book gives you a deeper appreciation of the ideas about tolerance, fragility of life and holding unpopular opinions when you’re morally right.
‘Never Back Down’
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language — all involving teens.
What it’s about: A teen with a violent temper gets more than he bargained for when he moves to a new school where no-holds-barred mixed-martial-arts fighting is a part of the culture.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Good-looking young people beating the snot out of one another.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Controlling your temper and your anger is a sign of maturity. But sometimes, the only thing a bully understands is a beatdown.
Violence: Plentiful.
Language: Some profanity, not gratuitous.
Sex: Make-out moments, kids in bikinis.
Drugs: Alcohol is consumed by teenagers.
Parents’ advisory: It’s a violent martial-arts drama for kids about facing your demons and overcoming bullies. The important phrase? “Violent martial-arts drama.”
‘The Other Boleyn Girl’
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images.
What it’s about: When their family trots the Boleyn sisters in front of the randy King Henry VIII, the girls are left to their own hearts and wits to figure out how to “land the big one,” or simply survive.
The Kid Attractor Factor: Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are the fetching leads, with Eric Bana as the oversexed Henry.
Good lessons/bad lessons: Sometimes, father doesn’t know best, especially when he’s hoping his daughter will prostitute herself to gain family favor with the king.
Violence: People lost their heads back then.
Language: A 16th-Century version of Disney clean.
Sex: Yes, though not Showtime explicit.
Drugs: None.
Parents’ advisory: If your kids are into history, this costume epic might tempt them.
