Rated PG for some mild language and brief questionable behavior.
Directed by Karey Kirkpatrick (Over the Hedge)
Starring Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Martin Sheen…
Imagine this: boring, frustrating… with a dash of creepy.
Meet Evan: financial executive, divorced, deadbeat dad.
Meet his daughter Olivia: seven-years-old, emotionally attached to her blanky, and incessantly talking to her imaginary friends.
Evan faces pressure at work during his week with Olivia, only to discover that Olivia’s imaginary friends have the solutions to his work problems.
Sigh.
I was looking at my watch 10 minutes into the film, wishing time would speed up. My 11-year-old daughter kept asking me, “Do we have to stay for this whole film when you’re attending one of these screenings?”
Sure, the film had two or three cute scenes. But the script was just lame. Cute little girls and Eddie Murphy’s few humorous moments couldn’t come close to saving this film.
And at what point does an imaginary friend become creepy? Olivia’s imaginary friends were two strides away from Danny’s talking finger in The Shining (shudder).
Skip this one.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Sure… if you want them to start talking to their “imaginary friends” …. or fall asleep in front of the TV.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
