Animated
Rating:
PG
Approx. 90 mins.
THE STORY:
Oscar (Will Smith) is a small fish with a big gambling problem that lands him in debt to shark mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro). The boss sends his two sons, Lenny (Jack Black) and Frankie (Michael Imperioli), to collect on the debt which Oscar is in no position to repay. Frankie is killed in a freak anchor accident and Lenny, a pacifistic vegetarian, can't do the deed. Oscar and Lenny concoct a plan to solve everyone's problems: Oscar takes credit for killing Frankie and Lenny, and Lenny disappears from the stressful mob world to become Oscar's accomplice.
Oscar becomes a local hero and begins to attract false friends (Angelina Jolie as a very very seductive gold-digger), and to turn his back on his true friends (Renee Zellweger). The strains of living a lie begin to show and both Oscar and Lenny are forced to be honest about who they really are and to accept the consequences of their deceit.
Oscar (Will Smith) is a small fish with a big gambling problem that lands him in debt to shark mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro). The boss sends his two sons, Lenny (Jack Black) and Frankie (Michael Imperioli), to collect on the debt which Oscar is in no position to repay. Frankie is killed in a freak anchor accident and Lenny, a pacifistic vegetarian, can't do the deed. Oscar and Lenny concoct a plan to solve everyone's problems: Oscar takes credit for killing Frankie and Lenny, and Lenny disappears from the stressful mob world to become Oscar's accomplice.
Oscar becomes a local hero and begins to attract false friends (Angelina Jolie as a very very seductive gold-digger), and to turn his back on his true friends (Renee Zellweger). The strains of living a lie begin to show and both Oscar and Lenny are forced to be honest about who they really are and to accept the consequences of their deceit.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- Dumb
- Dummy
VIOLENCE:
- none, but violence is a central theme
TEACHING POINTS:
- Be genuine if you want others to be genuine with you
- There are no short-cuts to really solving problems
THE UPSHOT:
The adults in the room really enjoyed it, but the 4 year-old was at a bit of a loss at times. The entire mob movie concept is a bit of a stretch for a young child, so I'm not sure that a lot of the plot elements were absorbed. Fortunately there is slapstick and music to amuse younger viewers.
The main issue I had was that, while there is no overt violence, the entire story is based in an act of extreme violence. Oscar takes credit for having killed a shark. He then lives under threat of retaliation from the shark mob. The only way he can counter this threat is with more violence and physical aggression. That most of this violence is unrealized is a positive, but for most of the movie it hovers over every aspect of the story. That added to the sexually-overt gold-digger stereotype character make the themes too mature for younger viewers.
The main issue I had was that, while there is no overt violence, the entire story is based in an act of extreme violence. Oscar takes credit for having killed a shark. He then lives under threat of retaliation from the shark mob. The only way he can counter this threat is with more violence and physical aggression. That most of this violence is unrealized is a positive, but for most of the movie it hovers over every aspect of the story. That added to the sexually-overt gold-digger stereotype character make the themes too mature for younger viewers.
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