Parents' Guide to Little Giants

Parents need to know that this Little Giants is a 1994 football-themed movie in which Rick Moranis decides to stand up to his arrogant brother, a football legend in their town (played by Ed O'Neill), and field a Pee Wee League team of his own when his daughter, who's better at football than any of the other kids, isn't picked by O'Neill because she's a girl. There's some iffy and puerile humor throughout the movie, including a recurring joke revolving around a heavier-set boy's tendency to pass loud and stinky gas at timely and untimely moments, another boy who blows bubbles of mucous out of his nostrils, and some childish name-calling on the order of "dork" and "losers." There's also some bullying -- bigger kids give a smaller boy a "wedgie," and the daughter chases these bullies with her go-cart, causing them to lose control of their bikes and fall into a creek. Adults occasionally use profanity on the order of "pissed," "crap," and "for Christ's sake." On two occasions, crotch injuries are comedic punch lines. The movie also shows the first stirrings of tween attraction between the daughter and the heroic quarterback. Overall, despite the detours into immature humor, the movie upholds some positive messages -- namely that playing sports for fun, doing your best, and working as a team take precedence over winning at nearly all costs and excluding everyone (even talented girls who express an interest in sports) but the very best from playing.

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