In the small town of Black Falls, everyone works at Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries. Things may turn to a different path when a rock that gives wishes from the sky falls, causing chaos in the city. In that city, jealous and old children alike begin to challenge before that rock.
Shorts may not be destined for long-term greatness -- it feels cheerfully disposable in every way -- but the film is also fast and funny, and grown-ups will not suffer sitting through it.
...what poignancy is served injecting heavy messages about parenting... into a movie which glorifies the suburban existence, makes light of bullying, and gratuitously employs property destruction for comic effect?
Yes, it's definitely made for the much younger set, but it also has quite a few zany little off guard touches, resulting in genuine laughs for anyone who can appreciate the humor.
Be careful what you wish for, Shorts reminds us; you just might get it. Especially if that wishing was along the lines of a smart and funny kids' flick.
It is a wildly self-indulgent fantasy adventure that should have gone straight to Youtube, where all 'Dad-thinks-he's-cool-with-a-camera' home videos belong.
The latest child's-eye adventure from Robert Rodriguez, Shorts doesn't hit the heights of his Spy Kids series. But it provides just enough smart, silly fun for families desperately seeking an easy escape from hazy August humidity.
