Merrick is confused: NO TIMMY? 1940s?
BadDad sent in two more reviews from Tribeca: LASSIE (a period piece set in Scotland – with no Timmy!?!?) and GOAL! (a title I think is seriously cheesy - but a soccer film directed by the guy who helmed JUDGE DREDD and produces CSI is just trippy enough to be interesting).
Here’s BadDad…
I took my 5 and 7 year old boys to Tribeca this weekend. We saw the new LASSIE, a soccer movie called GOAL, and OVER THE HEDGE. I'll leave OTH to others (quick review: Kids roared, I smiled), but I haven't seen any reviews of the other two on AICN, so here goes:
LASSIE
It's not Timmy on the ranch.
It starts out in a coal mining town in Yorkshire in the early 1940s. The local aristocrats hunt fox through the grim town while the locals worry about getting food on the table the next day.
Naturally, Lassie is owned by a poor kid in the town. And just as naturally, the mine closes, and Lassie and said kid get separated.
I don't think that spoils too much for anyone who's ever seen a movie before, nor would anything else I could say about the plot. So let me focus on two other things: First, the actors, starting with Peter O'Toole as the aristocrat. O'Toole inhabits the character completely. Ever mannerism, including just standing still, brings this character to life. I've seen Peter O'Toole in so many movies, it was fun to see him in something that didn't make me think "Peter O'Toole walks into the room," but rather, "Lord so-and-so walks into the room."
And the kids, who really need to be good for the movie to work, do their parts well. They stick to saying things that kids would say, and not saying things that kids wouldn't say – which is death to a kids' movie. Second, the setting. It's gorgeous. It's gorgeous in a dark and windswept way, set and filmed (according to what the director told us after the movie) in England and Scotland.
Lassie standing on a mountain in the highlands of Scotland with the wind rippling through her fur might raise a smirk from the most cold-hearted and cynical movie-goer, but it's cliché because it is stirring, and my kids, not yet ready to snark, were left breathless. It's coming out in September. Look for it.
GOAL!
Not as even of a movie, but it's exciting.
It's about a Mexican kid named Santiago from L.A. who, by one of those chances that happen in public parks all the time, gets spotted by an ex-scout for Newcastle United and gets invited to try-out for the Premiereship team in England.
My two boys were cheering throughout. It might be a bit much for most under 7, though; there's some rough soccer violence (elbows to the face, knees being taken out, a lot of faces slamming into the ground), some emotional stuff with Santiago's father who wants Santiago to stay home, mention of drunkenness and whoring around by the team's stars ( e.g., players with a hangover, players in a bar but not drunk yet, a player waking up late with an unseen woman under the sheets next to him, etc.)
As I said, it's a bit uneven – Santiago gets more second chances in a month than most of us get in a lifetime – but I'll still recommend it.
Why?
It's fun, kids will love it, and it makes soccer look cool (hot cars, nightclubs, hard-hits on the field) without trying to 'protest too much,' taking it as a given that soccer is cool (To Talkbackers: what? Some of you don't like soccer? I'm shocked).
The best twist in the narrative, though, is that the team's playboy/superstar is a really nice guy. Standard movie-logic argues that he and Santiago should be rivals, with Santiago only earning his grudging respect by saving the game in the final scene.
A nod of approval as they carry the young pretender off the field kind of thing. "Hey kid, [tosses him the trophy] Nice game. [smiles, music swells, exeunt]" No. In Goal, the team superstar is a pretty good guy who helps out Santiago when he can. It made the movie a lot more watchable. Take your kids – assuming they're okay with a little PG sex and violence.
Thanks, BadDad!
LASSIE's release date is, evidently, to be determined. GOAL! hits this Friday (May 12)...
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