Shorts (2009)

A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.

Director:

Robert Rodriguez

Writers:

Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodríguez (additional material)

Stars:

Jimmy Bennett, Jake Short, Kat Dennings

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jimmy Bennett	...	Toe Thompson
Jake Short	...	Nose Noseworthy
Kat Dennings	...	Stacey Thompson
Trevor Gagnon	...	Loogie
Devon Gearhart	...	Cole Black
Jolie Vanier	...	Helvetica Black
Rebel Rodriguez	...	Lug
Leo Howard	...	Laser
Leslie Mann	...	Mom Thompson
Jon Cryer	...	Dad Thompson
William H. Macy	...	Dr. Noseworthy
James Spader	...	Mr. Black
Angela Lanza	...	Teacher
Alejandro Rose-Garcia	...	John / Boyfriend
Cambell Westmoreland	...	Blinker #1

Storyline

A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | rock | nonlinear timeline | school bully | monster | 

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Taglines:

Not So TALL Tales From The Director Of 'Spy Kids'

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild action and some rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. [Germany]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£171,876 (UK) (21 August 2009)

Gross:

$20,916,309 (USA) (11 December 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Media Rights Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene where Helvetica proceeds to eat food and drink with her feet this is probably a reference to Quentin Tarantino (a long-time friend of Robert Rodriguez) who is known to have a foot 'fetish' and frequently uses close-ups of feet in his films.

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Goofs

During the initial classroom scene when the teacher is conducting an experiment with catalysts, the "blink contest" girl blinks in a brief moment wherein the aliens are circling the bottoms of the classroom desks, ruining her record.

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Quotes

Laser: [about the telephone] Change your head back Loogie.
Loogie: This has certain advantages.
Laser: What advantages?
Loogie: [the phone rings. Loogie turns his head and there is a pickup sound] Hello?
Laser: [Laser smacks his forehead exaggeratedly]
Loogie: All right, I wish the phone was gone.
[the phone disappears from Loogie's head]

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Crazy Credits

When the closing credits reach the song section, Jimmy Bennett states he wrote the song 'Summer Never Ends' thereby his wish came true

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Connections

References Planet Terror (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Summer Never Ends"
Words and Music by Jimmy Bennett
Courtesy Jimmy Bennett Publishing Designee (BMI)
Copyright © 2009

User Reviews

Through the Eyes of a Child

I saw this with my son (10) and his friend. I expected to fall asleep because of the poor reviews on IMDb, but to my happy surprise it awoke the inner child in me. The wishes were plausible for children and the FX were enjoyable. The two kids with me complained that they would have had better wishes than in the movie or about this and that, but they barely moved a muscle while it was playing, didn't ask for popcorn or snacks.

Overall, this is a great family film in the Disney vein of talking Herbie cars and other implausibilities that I loved as a child and am glad I saw with my child. Better than Spy Kids 2 or 3D, Shark Boy and Lava Girl.