Rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive comments.
Starring Adam Sandler, Michelle Monaghan, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage and Kevin James
Directed by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire and Home Alone)
I wish there was a reset button for this one.
In Pixels, when intergalactic aliens misinterpret video-feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war against them, they attack the Earth, using the games as models for their various assaults. President Will Cooper (Kevin James) has to call on his childhood best friend, ’80s video game champion Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), now a home theater installer, to lead a team of old-school arcaders (Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad) to defeat the aliens and save the planet. Joining them is Lt. Col. Violet Van Patten (Michelle Monaghan), a specialist supplying the arcaders with unique weapons to fight the aliens.
I can’t imagine anyone watching the trailer for this film expecting anything other then complete silliness. The planet being attacked by aliens who take on the form of characters in video games from 1982 is completely ridiculous. The fact that Adam Sandler is the one who saves the day… completely ridiculous! Kevin James as the president of United States… RIDICULOUS!
The story, cast, and director all left me wondering how in the world did this movie get made.
The one positive was that the story line centered on Eddie’s glasses and the issue of integrity. And although there is a moral at the end of the story, I wonder how much of it will be lost because so much of the film should not ever be taken seriously.
I will begrudgingly admit that I did laugh once or twice, but not enough to ever watch it again. And so I would encourage you to “Skip it.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
There is no sex or nudity, but plenty of raunchy jokes and conversations scattered throughout. There is also plenty of explosive destruction action-movie violence with fighting and weapons. Most of it is comical and not graphic.
There is also plenty of profanity, but no F-words.
CONVERSATION STARTER
- What do we discover about Eddie’s glasses at the end of the film?
- Have you ever been tempted to cheat?
- Why is it better to be poor but have integrity?
- What can you do when tempted to cheat?
Read Proverbs 19:1
Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.