The Problem With Kid’s Movie Reviews
Is that they are almost always written by adults.
Take, for example, the current release Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smthsonian. On the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, it has a “Tomatometer” rating of only forty-four percent. The consensus being that it pretty much reeks.
I saw the movie this weekend with the Munchkin and one of his buddies. Was I magically transported, transfixed by every frame? No. Was this a masterwork which would be the recipient of multiple Oscars? No.
However, it was entertaining. It moved along enough for me not to be bored, and the fabulous Hank Azaria chewed the scenery every frame he was in.
The kids? They thought it was great. Not once did they squirm in their seat. In fact they were doing that whole “not able to look down at the popcorn” thing as they couldn’t take their eyes off the screen. Resulting in much spilled popcorn, but hey, we like to keep theater people employed.
Seriously though, too many movie critics view kid’s movies through an adult lens, and thus wind up judging them harshly. To be sure, there are plenty of cruddy movies for kids out there, but remember when we were young? Many of us adored shows and movies that were absolute dreck, but for whatever reason resonated with us.
For example, have you watched any old Land of the Lost reruns lately? Talk about a bad show in every way, from the sets (fake!) to the acting (even more fake!) to the embarassment to cavemen that was Chaka. There wasn’t even any redeeming educational value in it, as it purported that men-like creatures were alive at the time of dinosaurs. And yet, this show is a cult classic. Even if Land of the Lost wasn’t in your time, I gaurantee you it was some other equally horrid one that as a kid you thought was great. Power Puff Girls? The Smurfs? There was at least one.
So let’s not be so hard on kid’s movies. As long as the primary audience is entertained, the adults should simply view it as a good time to have some delicious junk food. Or even better, a nap!
I agree with you that many reviewers are not watching these movies with a child’s eyes, but I do not think that just because it’s aimed at kids means it can get away with being stupid or not entertaining for adults. Movies like Toy Story (although I was not a grownup when it came out) were acclaimed by adults and critics and loved by kids.
I can think of many more examples in the realm of kids books too- Where the Wild Things Are, the Beatrix Potter books, many of the Little Golden Books my mother read to me as a child- I cannot wait to read these to my own children. Smart, child appropriate entertainment does not have to tread the line between making winking references that fly over kids heads to please the adults and shouting fart jokes to please the kids.
(Can you tell this is a pet peeve of mine? shows like Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana just make me want to barf. Just because children are fascinated/hypnotized doesn’t mean they are being entertained.)
I am all for educational entertainment and my son has only recently been allowed to watch things that are not on PBS.
However, I don’t think that every single thing a child reads or watches has to have some sort of moral/educational message.
Lord knows hardly any of the things I watched as a kid would qualify, and I turned out all right. I think.
Pixar is a gem among entertainment producers, there aren’t many out there like them. I thought that Night at the Museum did a fairly good job of being exciting for the kids and not too simplistic for the adults. Although I think Hank Azaria’s schtick went over their heads, for the most part.
I agree not everything needs to be packaged with a moral. I guess I’m just kvetching… sorry Glinda
No need to apologize!
I still love you!
One place where kids reviewing kids movies flourishes is on YouTube, where some of the most popular film reviewers are under 12. I’ll have to dig one up soon.