Rating: PG, for mild thematic elements and some action.
The latest from Pixar Animation is beautiful and heartbreaking, lively and profound. And, like the absolute best Pixar movies, it will speak to and move every member of your family on a different level. An 11-year-old girl named Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias) reluctantly moves with her parents from Minneapolis to San Francisco. We see the toll this massive shift takes on her through the various character traits interacting in her head: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Louis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). It’s energetic and colorful and very, very funny, often in physical and slapsticky ways. (My 5-year-old son’s favorite part was when the hotheaded Anger set Fear’s butt on fire.) Kids of all ages will be completely enthralled and entertained. But Inside Out works even better for the adults in the audience for the thoughtful, complex ways it addresses the nature of our memories and the crucial role they play in shaping our personalities and building lifelong bonds. Director and co-writer Pete Docter’s film is smart and ambitious and a must-see. And oh yes, it will make you cry at least a couple of times. It places some of its characters in brief peril, but otherwise it’s totally suitable for all ages.
Rating: PG, for language, thematic elements and smoking images.
This documentary aims to shine a light on musicians who toiled anonymously in the background for too long: A group of session players who became known as The Wrecking Crew. They performed on so many important, enduring hits of the 1960s and early ’70s, it’s staggering, from the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (and her dad’s “Strangers in the Night”) to the entire, groundbreaking Beach Boys album Pet Sounds. Director Denny Tedesco’s documentary is loving but a little repetitive. It’s got some language and some archival photographs of the musicians smoking in the studio. But if your kids are into music, they could definitely learn something about dedication and craft from this film. It’s fine for viewers around age 8 or 9 and up.
