Get Smart

My dad loved the TV series Get Smart and I remember catching bits and pieces of it while he chortled away on the sofa but I really only remember Max's distinctive nasal voice, the famous door sequence and 99's sharp wit and bob.




In Get Smart, the movie, Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway attempt to re-imagine the series and make it relevant for today's audiences and we think they succeeded.  Sure it's a little slow getting started and Max is pretty annoying in the beginning but once things get going it's a fun ride and the Carell/Hathaway chemistry is surprisingly great.  This movie also features one of my faves, The Rock, as the superstar spy and when he and his megawatt smile enter the room it's truly fabulous.  The director hams this up too which makes it even better.

We watched some of the clips of the old show on YouTube after the movie and we all agreed the updated humour was much better than the original. The finale scene made us all laugh out loud so hard but I can't give it away, the reveal is just too good.

Rating:We were all highly entertained by Get Smart and there was enough plot that the kid had fun trying to figure out who the bad guy was.  We will definitely watch this again some time.

Naughty bits: There is some cartoon violence, some mild language and a couple of mild sexual innuendos but for the most part it is as clean as Agent 23's white shirt (how does he keep it soooo clean?)

Snacks: Ice cream cone of silence

Family In-quotes: "Missed it by that much"

Related Goodies:

Chicken Run

It was another rainy Saturday afternoon so we decided to settle in for a movie as a family including No.2 this time.  Chicken Run sounded interesting and was made by the Aardman folks (famous for Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep) so we were excited.  But things sort of petered out from there. 



Chicken Run is a retelling of The Great Escape which is a great concept but the story and wartime in-jokes were lost on the kids and they were kind of bored by the end although there were plenty of visual gags to amuse from time to time.  We did enjoy the bad end that came to the antagonists but it felt like it took a long time getting there and the chemistry between the two leads was flighty.

Rating: It was an original concept but they somehow didn't quite pull it off.  We will definitely keep re-watching Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep but won't be watching this one again.

Naughty bits: The dogs could be frightening to very small children but the rest is as clean as Fowler's hut.

Snacks: Chicken Pie

Family In-quotes: "Why, back in my RAF days..."

Related Goodies:
Wallace & Gromit
Shaun the Sheep
The true story of The Great Escape

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

There is a mighty 90's comeback (especially in fashion) right now so it seemed right to indulge in the classic film Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.  While technically an 80's film it definitely inspired many great 90's sayings and fashion and starred a young Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter's abs; perfectly shown off by his crop tee.  Yes, a crop tee.  On a heterosexual man.  Hey people, it was on the cusp of the 90's.


Bill and Ted's is a time traveling sci-fi adventure buddy film about two besties who are failing history and have to come up with an epic final presentation so that Ted doesn't end up at military school, end their band and ruin the future.  It's a tall order and so to achieve that they end up going through time to bag them some historical figures.  Needless to say comic chaos ensues.

Rating: It's a little slow to get started but it's super fun and we will watch it again soon.  Next thing on our list is Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

Naughty bits: There is one particularly awkward scene where sex is implied, some mild bad language and some fighting but nothing too serious. 

Snacks: A huge bowl of icecream - to share.

Family In-quotes: "Excellent!"

Related Goodies:
Wayne's World - full nineties buddy film awesomeness (not for kids though)

Miss Congeniality

Our niece introduced us to this movie many moons ago.  We enjoyed it and thought it about time to unleash on our own kids.  The kid took a little persuading that it would be a goodie but Sandra and her epic comic timing won her over.  In the end she even guessed the bad guy!  Proud mummy moment.

Miss Congeniality is the story of a tomboy cop who is forced into beauty pageant hell by her colleagues in order to crack a case.  And crack she does... crack us up!  Sandra Bullock and Benjamin Bratt have great chemistry and are pros at physical comedy and snappy dialog.  And wonderful bonus performances by Michael Caine, Candice Bergman and wait for it... William Shatner.  Words of warning though; this is a movie from the end of the 90's/early 2000's so some of that infamous sexist 90's humour is painfully obvious.


Rating: We had a fun watch and enjoyed this detective romp.  Definitely watch again in a little while.  Some good themes to discuss; don't judge a book by it's heavily made up cover, intelligent girls can hold their own, it's OK to be a feminist and enjoy pretty things (or not).

Naughty bits:  Nearly as clean as Benjamin's suits but there are suggestive comments and overt sexism (see aforementioned comments).  Some drinking, a kiss and a confession of sexual assault (but before you freak out it's obscure enough to only be a trigger warning for adults).  Suitable for older kids as the plot is fairly complex and themes are mature.

Snacks: Pizza!

Family In-quotes: "What is the one most important thing our society needs?
Gracie Hart: That would be harsher punishment for parole violators, Stan.
[crowd is silent]
Gracie Hart: And world peace!"

Related Goodies:
Drop Dead Gorgeous - beauty pageant black comedy - not for kids!
26 random facts about Miss Congeniality

Labyrinth

At the risk of creating great division the most important question we need to get out of the way before we discuss Labyrinth in more detail is "who wore the pirate shirt better?  Jennifer?  Or Bowie?"  The next important question being "why did pirate shirts date badly in real life but not in fantasy movies?"  Oh the dilemmas.

I loved Labyrinth as a kid and wanted to pass this love onto my kids so last rainy Sunday afternoon we settled in.  We didn't do our usual Friday night thing because we wanted number 2 kid to join in.  She watched it all the way though with her fave bits being the baby crawling all over the M. C. Escher inspired stairs and the dog riding the dog.  I know, it's a fox but number 2 is four so I'm going to let it go.  Number 1 kid tapped out about half way through and went and did something else, occasionally turning round to see bits she liked and when asked for her review she said it got a bit boring in the middle and kind of lost the plot.  Plot was less important to me as a child!

Labyrinth tells the story of a teen who gives her baby brother to the Goblin King by mistake and then has to navigate the King's labyrinth to rescue him.  Along the way she gathers a small group of unlikely friends and meets many strange and unusual creatures.  The Jim Henson puppetry and creativeness is breathtaking, almost as breathtaking as Bowie's hairdo.

Rating: Maybe for the younger kid who is less concerned with story and just loves being immersed in a magical world as I did.  We will watch Labyrinth from time to time.

Naughty bits: If you have no objections to numerous fart jokes and other mild potty humour, you will enjoy Labyrinth.  However there are some scenes which might frighten more sensitive kids (a little dark and spooky with "jumpy" bits).  And then there is Bowie's codpiece...

Snacks: Peaches and cream

Family In-quotes: "Who do?" "You do!" "Do what?"  "Remind me of the babe"

Related Goodies:
10 Things you didn't know about Labyrinth 
Jemaine Clement does excellent Bowie 
It's not related, but the Labyrinth board game is a lot of fun

The Truman Show

We weren't sure if the kid would be into this one.  We remembered a lot of talking and not so much action but after hearing quickly what it was about she wanted to give it a go and we were glad we did.  The Truman Show was Jim Carrey's first serious role and showed he could actually act!

Truman Burbank lives an idyllic life on an island off the coast of the United States but little does he realise that his life is lived inside a huge TV set and planned meticulously by a producer who streams his life 24/7 to the world.  The movie depicts what happens as he figures out his life is a lie.  There are moments of heartbreak and quite a few moments of comedy (hey!  It is still Jim!) and it had the kid on the edge of her seat trying to work out how it was all going to end.

There are interesting themes in The Truman Show about the nature of reality, big brother, the ownership of people and deception.  It sparked many jokes in our house about hidden cameras everywhere.


Rating: We rate The Truman Show as a modern day classic.  It is an amazingly crafted movie with a great plot and fascinating characters.  We will watch this again sometime for sure. 

Naughty bits: There is one allusion to sexy times and some mild violence but nothing to worry a kid over 9 years old.  Kids under 9 might find the movie a bit boring though as the themes are a bit over their heads. 

Snacks: Hot Chocolate

Family In-quotes: "Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"

Related Goodies:
Jim Carrey's other standout serious role in a great movie: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (not for kids though!!)
Another movie exploring reality TV which came out a similar time: Ed TV (also not for kids)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

There are a couple of things we all think of when we think of the 1970's; psychedelic randomness and tight pants.  Star Trek: The Motion Picture does not disappoint on both counts.  We being more a Star Wars than Trek family were new to this universe and went into this movie with fresh eyes knowing little about the characters or setting.  Well I can now see the appeal of Captain Kirk; he was utterly fabulous.  The movie, not so much but was entertaining enough and has rounded out our pop culture education nicely we feel.

Captain Kirk comes out of bureaucracy to captain the Enterprise once again amidst some tension between himself and the new captain.  Despite this they shoot off into space to head off a massive threat to earth where danger and the unknown lurk.  *Spoiler Alert* they do save the day but I missed the last 20 minutes [sleeping] which kind of gives you an idea of the slowness of the proceedings.


Rating: We enjoyed this movie enough but it is quite slow and seemed longer than its 2hr 10min running time.  We wouldn't watch it again but we might try other Star Trek products.  We enjoyed Galaxy Quest (the parody) much better.

Naughty bits: This movie is as clean as Captain Kirk's tennis inspired outfit but there is a disturbing scene early on where the transporters catastrophically fail and you see the people die screaming horribly.  Not too gory but we all knew what was going on.

Snacks: Freeze Dried Icecream

Family In-quotes: "Any show of resistance would be futile, Captain."

Related Goodies:
StarTrek official site
StarTrek wiki