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

The role of Stacey Thompson was to be originally played by Alexa Vega, but a scheduling conflict with her film, Broken Hill, which was filmed in Australia lead to her having to be recast, Kat Dennings was cast instead.

---

Goofs

Blinker #1 blinks (at around 31 mins) while opening a cellophane bag over his cereal bowl. Blinker #2 blinks (at around 22 mins) in the background during the classroom scene where the aliens are circling the bottoms of the students' desks while the teacher is conducting an experiment with catalysts.

---

Quotes

Laser: Hey she has a rock just like ours.
Lug: That is ours, you dummy.

---

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

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

---

Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A family film with good imagination

OK, so I do not like movies like this. But I have to say that this movie was kinda fun, and it had an original plot that is something that kids really want to see. Good clean comedy comes out of this movie every once and a while. A good laugh can be expected from this film. I gotta say that the creator had a really good imagination when making this movie, he really knows what kids would really wish for. The kids acting was fair. On the other hand the adults become a little stupid. The special effects looked a little cheap. And sometimes the imaginative stuff goes a little to far. But I only recommend it for kids 9 and younger. They are sure to enjoy this film and have a thrill. But teens and adults may find this movie to be not so good, because since its meant to be only for kids, people over the age of 13 might find this movie to be way too childish. But it is somewhat fun. This is an ordinary family/kids movie which is slightly a little good as any other.