Rating: PG, for mild language.
There is nothing even vaguely shocking or inappropriate in this extended infomercial about the British boy-band sensation. No groupies, no partying, no infighting. There’s nothing terribly insightful, either. Director Morgan Spurlock made his name with documentaries like Super Size Me, which examined the power of corporate culture; here, he’s a cog in that very machinery. His film follows the pre-fab five — Harry, Zayn, Niall, Liam and Louis — on stage and behind the scenes of their world tour. Spurlock has said he intended this as his version of A Hard Day’s Night, and while it does feature the lads enjoying some mildly wacky antics, these are no Beatles. They barely even have distinguishable personalities. Totally suitable for fans of any age, and tolerable for the parents who are forced to drive them to the theater.
Rating: PG-13, for intense action, violence and mayhem throughout, some rude gestures, and language.
An insane number of cars gets demolished in the name of mindless summer entertainment. Innocent bystanders get mowed down, property is destroyed and general mayhem rules the streets. In the center of it all, causing this damage on command in hopes that he’ll be able to save his kidnapped wife, is Ethan Hawke. As the awesomely named Brent Magna, Hawke plays a washed-up racecar driver who’s stuck in a stolen, souped-up car following the cruel and arbitrary instructions of a disembodied voice (Jon Voight) who has orchestrated his wife’s abduction. Then Selena Gomez shows up as the car’s owner and becomes his hostage, then his unwitting partner. The two trade stilted, profane banter.
Rating: PG-13, for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.
Decadent partying permeates this film, which should come as no surprise to anyone who read the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel that inspired it in 10th-grade English class. Reclusive, nouveau-riche Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) tries to win back his lost love, the dazzling socialite Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), by staging a series of elaborate soirees that he hopes will catch her attention. Much cigarette smoking and swilling of champagne ensues. Everyone eventually goes home, though, leaving Gatsby to his violent, tragic fate. Director Baz Luhrmann depicts it all lavishly – and in 3-D, no less. But he doesn’t seem to get the melancholy soul of the novel: the loneliness, and the crumbling of the American dream. Totally fine for tweens and high-school kids.
