Shorts

Wishing for a innovative and imaginative family film? Look no further than Robert Rodriguez's Shorts.

The visionary director has crafted a 21st century fairy tale that's cool enough for the kids and smart enough for the adults. The cool factor comes from Rodriguez's fast-forward and rewind narrative structure that nods to Pulp Fiction with a big grin. Shorts is basically a cinematic playground for Rodriguez and the child stars, and that's why it's so fun.

This is a fairy tale for the iPhone generation. Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) discovers a rainbow-colored "wishing rock" that grants any wish he can come up with. The rock can summon pint-size alien friends or an endless supply of chocolate bars.

Toe is in desperate need of friends when the movie kicks off. His parents, the hilarious duo of Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann, are too tied up in their jobs working at the company that made the BLACK BOX—the ultimate all-in-one device to truly give Toe time. The BLACK BOX is a phone, toaster and anything else you can imagine, but it can't fulfill wishes or summon friends. Dad and Mom are completely enmeshed in the BOX at work and home, and Toe's sister Stacey (Kat Dennings) can't stand him. So he's got his wishing rock, which causes all kinds of trouble at school, the neighborhood and beyond.

The film is broken up into a series of non-sequential "Shorts" that tell the tale of Toe's wishing rock. Along the way, he begins to get some buddies, and they tangle with a Booger Monster and various other crazy creatures. The fact that the film is told out-of-order makes for an intriguing ride. Plus, Rodriguez's action sequences in this film are almost as pulse-pounding and kinetic as his classic work in Desperado. It's also fueled by the chopped-and-screwed narrative, making Shorts one-of-a-kind.

The chemistry between the kids remains genuine. When Toe tangles with his arch nemesis Helvetica Black (Jolie Vanier), it's funny without becoming cliché. Bennett's desperation in the face of Helvetica's bullying is sympathetic, but it's still funny to see him stuck in trashcan. Meanwhile, Vanier plays nefarious and spoiled like a pro.

With color schemes that pay homage to Willy Wonka and the modern narrative structure, Rodriguez has crafted an intricate kids film that's simultaneously hilarious and heartfelt. He dissects our obsession with technology through the BLACK BOX, without ever becoming preachy. At the end of the day, it's cooler to have a wishing rock anyway.

—Rick Florino
08.20.09