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. [de]

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

Toby is seen eating Great White Bites cereal. This fictional cereal is also seen in Rodriguez' _Planet Terror (2006)_.

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Goofs

When Loogie wished to have the telephone gone, he was eating cereal and clearly wasn't holding the rock when he made the wish. The rock was on the table next to his bowl.

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Quotes

Lug: [to Loogie] Your hands on the wrong hands!

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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

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Episode #1.33 (2009)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Robert Rodriguez' Shorts has some imagination and humor that goes down easy

Just watched this movie from 2009 on a single children's matinée showing at 11 am with my movie theatre-working friend. With Robert Rodriguez' name attached, I expected something silly with some good laughs and I did. The title is meant to convey that it's a series of short segments as told by the main kid character in connection with a whole feature that deals with a wish-bearing rock. I think I liked the one about the booger monster the best with second being that bit where Leslie Mann and Jon Cryer as that kid's parents are being literally stuck together. Oh, and I didn't know that this was the first time that Cryer and James Spader had been in the same movie together since Pretty in Pink some 23 years previous. Anyway, I was amused most of the time and wouldn't mind seeing this again with my nieces and nephews. So on that note, Shorts is worth a look if you're in the mood for something imaginative and humorous.