Plot
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Release Year: 2009
Rating: 4.9/10 (3,015 voted)
Critic's Score: 53/100
Director:
Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Jimmy Bennett, James Spader, Kat Dennings
Storyline A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Writers: Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodríguez
Cast: Jimmy Bennett
-
Toby 'Toe' Thompson
Jake Short
-
Nose Noseworthy
Kat Dennings
-
Stacey Thompson
Trevor Gagnon
-
Loogie
Devon Gearhart
-
Cole Black
Jolie Vanier
-
Helvetica Black
Rebel Rodriguez
-
Lug
Leo Howard
-
Laser
Leslie Mann
-
Mom Thompson
Jon Cryer
-
Dad Thompson
William H. Macy
-
Dr. Noseworthy
James Spader
-
Mr. Black
Angela Lanza
-
Teacher
Alejandro Rose-Garcia
-
John
/
Boyfriend
Cambell Westmoreland
-
Blinker #1
Taglines:
Not So TALL Tales From The Director Of 'Spy Kids'
Opening Weekend: $6,410,339
(USA)
(23 August 2009)
(3 Screens)
Gross: $20,916,309
(USA)
(13 December 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Black Falls Community is in the shape of the wishing rock.
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers):
Blinker #1 blinks (At 01:31) while opening a cellophane bag over his cereal bowl. Blinker #2 blinks (At 26:22) in the background during the classroom scene where the aliens are circling the bottoms of the students' desks while the teacher is conducting an experiment with catalysts.
Quotes: Loogie:
I'm tired of video games and i'm bored with TV. Let's do something. Laser:
We been through this before. There's nothing else to do. Come play video games with us we need a third person. Loogie:
[Loogie starting to smile]
Let's go an outdoor adventure. Lug:
[getting the remote]
There's a huge thunderstorm. Look.
User Review
An excellent family film
Rating: 9/10
After the atrocious family films Spy Kids 3D : Game Over and The
Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I was not interested in watching
Shorts, another independent family film directed by Robert
Rodriguez.However, a look at the cast revealed the presence of some
competent actors (James Spader, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann and Kat
Dennings), so I decided to risk myself and watch this movie.To my huge
surprise, Shorts resulted to be an excellent family film which is
likable and hugely entertaining, thanks to the skillful performances
from the young cast and Rodriguez's irreverent screenplay.
At setting the movie on a real environment (instead of the artificial
digital universe), Rodriguez did not require of big excesses for
telling the story.The special effects look realistic, but they do not
loose Rodriguez's characteristic surrealism on them.Shorts may not be
his best family movie (I liked the original Spy Kids a bit more), but
it is the one which mostly represents the naughty childish imagination,
which is funny and innocent but not lacking of some subversion.
All the performances from this movie show a lot of energy and
enthusiasm, but the movie rests on the shoulders of the childish cast
with excellent results.The phenomenal discovery of Jolie Vanier is
particularly remarkable.She reminded me thanks to her histrionic force
and great presence of Christina Ricci on her juvenile roles.
With the exception of Up, Shorts is the best family film I have seen
this year.I ended up taking a great surprise with this great family
movie, and I recommend it as an excellent option for the whole family.
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