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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

---

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

Jon Cryer (Dad Thompson) and James Spader (Mr. Black) last appeared together in the movie Pretty in Pink.

---

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.

---

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]

---

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

---

Connections

References Fable II (2008)

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

An excellent family film

After the atrocious family films Spy Kids 3D : Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I was not interested in watching Shorts, another independent family film directed by Robert Rodriguez.However, a look at the cast revealed the presence of some competent actors (James Spader, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings), so I decided to risk myself and watch this movie.To my huge surprise, Shorts resulted to be an excellent family film which is likable and hugely entertaining, thanks to the skillful performances from the young cast and Rodriguez's irreverent screenplay.

At setting the movie on a real environment (instead of the artificial digital universe), Rodriguez did not require of big excesses for telling the story.The special effects look realistic, but they do not loose Rodriguez's characteristic surrealism on them.Shorts may not be his best family movie (I liked the original Spy Kids a bit more), but it is the one which mostly represents the naughty childish imagination, which is funny and innocent but not lacking of some subversion.

All the performances from this movie show a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but the movie rests on the shoulders of the childish cast with excellent results.The phenomenal discovery of Jolie Vanier is particularly remarkable.She reminded me thanks to her histrionic force and great presence of Christina Ricci on her juvenile roles.

With the exception of Up, Shorts is the best family film I have seen this year.I ended up taking a great surprise with this great family movie, and I recommend it as an excellent option for the whole family.