The Last Mimzy

What’s the Story?

Kids will like the premise of indie sci-fi movie THE LAST MIMZY: Ten-year-old Noah Wilder and his younger sister Emma discover a mysterious box off the shore of their beach house -- inside are strange toys that make the kids telekinetic, hyper-intelligent, and able to communicate with an old stuffed rabbit. What child wouldn't want such a cool adventure? But with great, alien-like toys come great problems. Noah (Chris O'Neil) accidentally causes a major power outage that, in the age of Homeland Security, is perceived as a terrorist attack. Emma (the doe-eyed Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) not only communes with Mimzy (the rabbit), but she learns from him and calls him her teacher. Some of his teachings include how to levitate, atomize her body parts, and thoroughly freak out her babysitter and parents -- clueless overworked dad David (Timothy Hutton) and understandably alarmed mom Jo (Joely Richardson). Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) co-stars as Noah's Zenned-out science teacher, Larry, who, along with his New Agey fiancée Naomi (Kathryn Hahn), applies understanding of Southeast Asian beliefs to convince the Wilders that their kids aren't just gifted: They're borderline superhuman. When David and Jo finally believe (the kids act like they're under a G-rated possession), the FBI swoops in and places the whole family in a testing facility. Just what the Wilder children are destined to do with their supernatural-seeming toys involves facilitating a wormhole for a weak Mimzy to travel through.

Is It Any Good?

While The Last Mimzy may seem kind of hokey -- and even frightening -- to some adults, elementary-school kids are likely to be enchanted. Just remember, parents: If your kids go from precocious to off-the-charts geniuses overnight, take an immediate trip to the neurologist. ...