My kids really enjoyed it, although the storyline was a little confusing for my 6 year-old, as the storyline moves back and forth.
Shorts
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Funny, imaginative fantasy from Spy Kids director.
Themes in this movie include: family relationships, friendship, honesty, peer pressure
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 7 and Up
The good stuff
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Educational value:
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Shorts was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that this fantasy adventure from Spy Kids director Robert Rodriguez is sure to appeal to kids and tweens. Expect some mild insults -- like "lunkhead" and "this sucks" -- and potty humor, mostly regarding a booger (one entire vignette is devoted to the topic). The violence is generally humorous and fantasy based; most is directly related to characters' wishes (people transforming into animals, the above-mentioned booger becoming a giant menace, etc.). On a more serious note, the movie has several thought-provoking messages about bullying, family relationships, and technology.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about how the kids (mis)use the power of the magical rock. Which characters used the rock for good, and which used it for selfish reasons? How did possessing the rock change the characters?
- What's the movie's message about our modern-day obsession with technology and fancy gadgets (like the Black Box)? Do they help us or hurt us in communicating with others?
- The relationship between a bully and the person she picks on is one of the movie's main themes. How is bullying portrayed? Do most bullies attack kids physically? What are other ways that bullies can attack?
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More on Shorts
What’s the Story?
Toby "Toe" Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) lives in Black Hills, a one-industry town run by technology tycoon Carbon Black (James Spader). Every day, Toby is bullied by Black's daughter, Helvetica (Jolie Vanier), and her crew of middle-school toughs. But life as Toby knows it changes when he's hit with a colorful rock that magically grants wishes -- big (a fortress) or small (never-ending supply of candy bars). But he's not the only one in town with eyes on the rock, and, as the movie's title implies, this tall tale is told in five interrelated SHORTS.
Is It Any Good?
The "one-man film crew" that is Robert Rodriguez (writer, director, producer, co-editor, composer) returns to his love of kids' imagination in this loopy funfest. Partly inspired by Rodriguez's own five children, the boisterous adventure is perfectly attuned to its audience, who no doubt will spend the entire 89 minutes laughing in delight at a booger monster, a girl bully turning into a male-swatting wasp, an army of crocodiles, parents literally stuck together, a boyfriend told to grow up (he ends up a giant), and much, much more.
Rodriguez's homegrown special effects aren't anything to write George Lucas about, but kids will be too busy reveling in the slapstick antics to notice that the walking CGI crocodiles are kind of unsophisticated. Instead, audiences will focus on the goofy, tween-targeted action. Anchoring the ensemble are newcomer Vanier (a Christina Ricci lookalike) as the deliciously named Helvetica -- even her own pop calls her "Hell" -- and veteran Bennett (who stole an early scene in Star Trek as the young James T. Kirk). Their appealing characters are two of the many reasons kids will love this unpredictable, pleasantly zippy adventure.
Movie Details
Studio: Warner Bros., Director: Robert Rodriguez
Run time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release: 8/21/2009, DVD release: 11/23/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and some rude humor
Run time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release: 8/21/2009, DVD release: 11/23/2009
MPAA Rating: PG for mild action and some rude humor
Our Members Say
See all 40 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Interesting...
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
this movie is AWESOME! i don't know what's with all the bad reviews.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
Cheesy Effects, Boring
My kids didn't like the movie. We were all looking forward to it (since we are all Robert Rodriguez fans (both for his kid's movies...and for his adult movies as well). Anyhow...my kids didn't like it. The story wasn't that great and the effects, as they put it, were "cheesy". It would have made a good short film.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Terrible
i think the movie was terrible. the acting was bad the plot had no depth it at one point just spun out of control and personally i think it was pretty violent bad humor and some pretty bad words in there too also alot of bullying was involved. summed it was a eye sore
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Terrible
i think the movie was terrible. the acting was bad the plot had no depth it at one point just spun out of control and personally i think it was pretty violent bad humor and some pretty bad words in there too also alot of bullying was involved. summed it was a eye sore
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
Some rude words, but nothing much.
this movie is ok for slightley matured children but the movie is terrible and no one should ever watch it!
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
love it..
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
Pointless rubbish that quickly gets worse and worse as the movie progresses. The whole part about him jumbling up the movie is simply annoying, and the story makes no sense whatsoever. And how come the town consists of only around twenty people?! Awful stuff.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Pointless just garbage Avoid it !!!
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I rate this title on for age 3 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
funny and good
not bad at all
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
This movie has a great message at the ending and it's not bad at all . There's not one cuss word in the entire thing .
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Very Funny
I took my two kids, 8 and 10 to see this movie. Unfortunately, I felt my 6yr old was too young to see a PG rated movie, so he stayed home with his dad. The movie was very funny, and the insults the kids used weren't explicit at all, but they were still a bit mean spirited.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Lots of laughs!
We saw this movie twice in one weekend. Both of my kids (almost 6 and 11) loved it! The sequence of the story was not as confusing as I was led to believe before seeing it. It addressed several issues my 11 yr old deals with at school (bullying and braces) which was funny. It was a lot better than I expected and for me to sit through it twice says a lot!
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Negative role models
suitable for kids, retarded for older kids
ages 5 and up: CRUDE HUMOR (P.S. not funny for kids over around 10)
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Eh...
I'm not watching it.
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Shorts is short, but it is very funny!!!
Shorts: The Adventures Of a Wishing Rock is a very funny movie. There is action in this film,but mostly the action is comical. This movie has language that includes insults and one use of bad language, but the word is played for laughs. There is some gross humor, but it is funny. This is a funny film for kids ages 6- 7+. This movie Shorts is short, but it is still very funny!!!
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
Very cute
This was a very cute movie. There's nothing bad in it, so It's pretty much good for anyone. Little kids might find all the shorts confusing. I would definetley reccomend this to anyone!
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
good for people 6-13
a very great movie
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
A terrible lame movie
It's just another lame film by robert rodriguez. i can't believe how kids can seriously like this film
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I rate this title on for age 5 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
everyone
aswome movie one of my favorites no bad stuff except for like you suck and stuff
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Ratings at a Glance
| 30% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 30% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
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