Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Olsen twins are boy-crazy in dimwitted Australian adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Our Lips Are Sealed
What's the Story?
After Maddie (Mary-Kate Olsen) and Abby (Ashley Olsen) witness jewel thieves ineptly leaving a museum diamond heist, they're whisked with their mother and father into the FBI's Witness Protection Program. Every time the self-described "blabbermouths" move to a new state and mistakenly reveal who they really are, the FBI moves them to a new location, finally depositing them in Australia. The head of the crime family that stole the jewel, Emil Hatchew, dispatches henchpeople to find them and the unrecovered diamond. Subplots knock heads as the girls dodge the bad guys while trying to be popular. They decide it's better to be themselves than to change simply to win favor with the cool kids. They date cute blond surfers.
Is It Any Good?
The decision to play the inane OUR LIPS ARE SEALED as broad comedy requires every actor to mug and chew the scenery. That, along with the montage of quickly succeeding relocations across the country, produces some funny moments -- but much of the comedy is so tired it needs to lie down. Whenever crime boss Hatchew says his name, everyone in the room says "God bless you." He and his cohorts hail from a small country called "Urugli," so their response to the question "Where are you from?" often gets them in trouble. Whether direct nods to riffs in such movies as Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Home Alone, and the 1960s TV show Laugh-In constitute homage to those better creations or are just plain theft doesn't matter. The overall quality of writing, acting, and direction here remains in the territory of dimwitted TV sitcoms, which, given the twins' early work on Full House, is no surprise.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether it's worth giving up who you are to be popular in school. Why is being popular so important to so many kids?
Why might you get into trouble if you speak before you think? Think of an example from your life. What happened?
What is the appeal of the Olsen twins?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 19, 2000
- On DVD or streaming : March 27, 2001
- Cast : Mary-Kate Olsen , Ashley Olsen , Tamara Clatterbuck , Richard Carter
- Director : Craig Shapiro
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Dualstar Productions
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Unrated
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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