He wants to create the ultimate technology, the Black Box, with innumerable functions that include a phone, vacuum cleaner, toaster, dog groomer, and baby monitor. It is set in a community that literally exists in the towering shadow of Black, Inc., a huge corporation headed by Mr. The title refers to the way the story is presented - brief intersecting stories going back and forth in time, each filling in additional details of the others. And he knows that what kids and parents wish for most is to be close to friends and family. He can tell that they will find a booger monster wildly funny.
He knows how to get them actively involved in figuring out what is happening. He understands that kids would be as likely to wish for getting their braces off as for money or superpowers. He is writer, director, cameraman, editor, co-composer of the score and in this case also father of four members of the supporting cast. Rodriguez is a one-man studio who brings a stylish, kinetic energy to two kinds of movies, the ultra-violent (“Desperado,” “Once Upon a Time in Mexico”) and the family-friendly (the “Spy Kids” series). It is also about an army of crocodiles, a telepathic super-genius baby, and a pig-tailed villain named after a font. This is a film that proves pure fantasy can be pleasant and adults don’t have to be bored to death with the material their children drag them to.A rainbow-colored wishing rock creates comic chaos in a film from Robert Rodriguez about bullies, family communication and being very, very careful what you wish for. Boiling down to the basic carefree fantasies of kids, the welcome notion of getting anything you can imagine, and the realization that understanding and friendship can resolve more than wishing yourself out of a predicament, “Shorts” playfully amuses with a vastly creative eye for merriment and nonsense. Little green aliens can’t fix Toby’s “lack of friends” problem, prevent an army of crocodiles from eating Loogie’s homework, protect the Short brothers from pterodactyl abduction, or save Nose Noseworthy from the Big Bad Booger. While it serves as a fantastical, quixotic tutoring on wishing for something worthwhile and being careful what you wish for, the execution and planning of the muddled events is truly worthwhile.
When neighbor Loogie (Trevor Gagnon) discovers a magical rock that grants wishes, Toby’s real troubles are about to begin.Īlthough a movie about wishes run amok isn’t entirely new, the family-friendly, clean setting, and bright tone of the film contributes to solid entertainment. His team leaders (Leslie Mann and Jon Cryer) are the parents of Toby, and his daughter Helvetica (Jolie Vanier) – or “Hel” for short – makes Toby’s life miserable, bullying him incessantly at school. The box works like a Transformer, reconstructing itself automatically into a cell phone, vacuum, toaster, grenade, dog trimmer, baby monitor, and much, much more. Black (James Spader), who is only concerned with upgrading his all-in-one black box multi-tool invention to outdo his many competitors. While messing with chronology is typically a nuisance, it works well for director Rodriguez, keeping things continually interesting and building upon minor characters – while effectively holding the attention of kids.īlack Box Incorporated is the center of interest for the entire town.
He decides to tell the story completely out of order in a series of shorts. To tell the tale of the crazily kooky adventure granted to the usually uneventful town of Black Falls, narrator and star Toby “Toe” Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) skips ahead, rewinds backwards onscreen, and dodges through the timeline of events. The look and feel of “Shorts” is wildly inventive, fantastical, definitely kid-worthy, and quite simply, a whole lot of fun.
What it does masterfully accomplish, however, is creative entertainment. The plot is jumbled up and out of order like a Tarantino movie, and doesn’t demonstrate a particularly unique idea. It’s by no means a masterpiece, but once again, the director has proven he has a way with children’s films. Obert Rodriguez’ “Shorts” is childish, unrealistic, and immature – in a good way. Release Date: August 21st, 2009 MPAA Rating: PGĭirector: Robert Rodriguez Actors: Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Devon Gearhart, Rebel Rodriguez, Jolie Vanier, Leo Howard, Leslie Mann, Jon Cryer, James Spader, William H.