Planes: Fire and Rescue doesn't reach movie altitude

Movie Title:  Planes: Fire & Rescue

PG, 1 hour 24 minutes

Grade:  C+

In a Nutshell:  You know when you make a Xerox copy of another actual Xerox copy and the quality gets worse each time?  That’s kind of this movie. The first Planes movie was a spinoff of the successful Cars franchise, but landed with a thud.  So what’s a movie studio to do?  Make a sequel!  No doubt the merchandising for little boys will be big.

For a movie about airplanes, it just doesn’t quite reach the altitude we all wish it did.

If your kids loved the first Planes, then go for it; you’re in for more of the same.  If you and your kids were bored out of your minds the first time around, skip this one.  You can read my movie review from the first Planes movie here.  Go watch Frozen again.

Uplifting theme: 

• Heroism
• Friendship
• Responsibility

Things I liked:

• Every animated film is better with the awesome voice talents of Patrick Warburton. Seriously.  Put him in everything.
•  The scenery was beautiful as “we” flew over deserts, mountains, and meadows.
• It’s better than the first Planes , but that still doesn’t make it an actual good movie.
• It’s definitely geared towards the tots.   
• It’s always fun to hear the lovable voice of John Ratzenberger.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were quite a few sexual innuendos intended to entertain parents, such as “How’d you like to rub tires?” and “We wore off the treads on our honeymoon” and “Yeah, they’re real.”    Not classy.
• I love Modern Family’s Julie Bowen and was happy to hear her voice the character of Dipper.  Unfortunately, I didn’t like Dipper at all.  She’s an airplane who constantly throws herself at Dusty for some cheap laughs.  Great role model for little girls, eh?
• I’m kinda tired of the obligatory fart jokes in lil tyke flicks.
• I got a little dizzy with some of the aerial dips and tricks.
• The most emotional scene was one with two old RV’s who expressed their love for each other.  Sweet, right?  Well, yeah, except their loving words were spoken in between inappropriate sexual innuendos and winks towards the parents. 

Did you notice?

• The planes and cars watched a “George Lexus” movie.   (George Lucas)
• Later they watched “CHoPs”..."139 episodes of lawbreaking love".... like the old CHiPs: The Complete First & Second Seasons .

Funny lines:

• “It’s a mysterious mystery.” – little bulldozer
• “This is so exciting, I’m going to overheat.” – random car in a group scene

Tips for parents:   I thought some of the fire scenes were scary and could frighten little ones.  Otherwise, the movie is mostly harmless fun.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman touch hearts and funny bones

Movie Title:   Mr. Peabody & Sherman

PG, 1 hour 32 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:   You may remember these lovable guys from the old Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: The Complete Series cartoon from the 1950’s and 60’s.  They finally get the feature animation they deserve.  Back then we didn’t realize that Mr. Peabody would invent tear-away pants and Zumba. 

True to the TV series, there are a lot of silly puns that will make you laugh and moan at the same time. There were potty-humor gags that kids tend to love, such as when a ship flies out of a Sphinx’s rear end, as well as wordplay references to movies that kids won’t recognize, but parents will enjoy, like when King Tut yells Runaway Bride!   Sherman often said “I don’t get it” when the adult jokes would fly over his head.

The WABAC machine (pronounced “Way Back”) is used to transport various characters in the movie to different periods of time and was originally created on the TV show to poke fun at the names of some of the first computers (UNIVAC and ENIAC).  Surprisingly, it is still a term used in some internet applications (Wikipedia) to describe the ability to go back to older content…”Not where, but when.”

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure fans will get a kick out of this animated run through select historical moments.

Uplifting theme: 

• Be proud of who you are and whose you are.   
• It’s a sweet, perhaps overly-sentimental, father-son movie that will leave you grinning as you walk out the movie theater.   
• Every dog should have a boy.

Things I liked:

• I thought it was cute when Mr. Peabody found Sherman as an orphaned baby in a box wearing glasses.
• I got a kick out of hearing funnyman Steven Colbert voice Paul Peterson.  He called Sherman “Dos Shermanos” when he got a little tipsy from Mr. Peabody’s dinner party drinks.
• I can never get enough of Allison Janney, Stanley Tucci, Leslie Mann, and Ty Burrell.  I was tickled to hear Mel Brooks brings Albert Einstein to life.
• The audience laughed with delight during the scene when Mr. Peabody plays a bunch of different audiences.
• A recurring gag occurred every time someone dropped something in Egypt; a servant would race by, pick it up and say something so fast I couldn’t quite tell…“I got it!"
• The audience I sat with instantly fell in love with Agamemnon.  Patrick Warburton always knocks it out of the park with his awesome voice and perfect comedic timing.  I thought his armpits were hilarious.  I thought it was cute when he recruited “Shermanis” to join his Greek fighting team.  One of his many funny lines was “My father is half man, half minotaur, all judgment.”  I thought the Trojan war scene was amusing how they tried to make it look like the movie 300 with slow-motion action sequences.
• Adorable Spartacus scene with Kirk Douglas cameo.

Things I didn’t like:

• The animation design of the hills outside the city of Florence was disappointing.  I loved the detail on the famous Ponte Vechio and the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.  I was in beautiful Florence a few months ago and was reliving my trip through those scenes.  Unfortunately, the ocean water animation was also poorly done.
• It was hard to cheer for Penny Peterson who was such a brat.  I didn’t care if she got left behind in another time or not.
• I was kind of surprised when Mr. Peabody said something about booby traps and Sherman giggled “You said boobie!”

Funny lines:

• “When Sherman says “I love you Mr. Peabody”, his adopted dog father says “I have a deep regard for you, as well, Sherman.”
• “Pictures were taken for insurance purposes.”  - Principal Purdy
• “Wait, what kind of cake?” – a French man in the crowd during the French revolution scene, responding to Marie Antoinette’s famous line “Let them eat cake!”
• “A cantaloupe?  The lowest of the fruits!”  - A French man
• “When it comes to my daughter, nothing is more important than…(answering cell phone suddenly)  Shello?  Sure, I’ll take a survey.”  - Mr. Peterson
• Penny asks Sherman “Do you do everything Mr. Peabody says?”  “Yeah.”  She asks “Do you know what that makes you?”  “An obedient son.”  “No, a dog.”
• “Oy plagues.  Why did I ever move to Egypt?” – A random Jewish man in the crowd
• “You can’t marry him!  His name rhymes with butt!”  - Sherman
• “This is a little home-spun concoction I like to call ‘Einstein on the Beach.’” – Mr. Peabody
• “So, he’s literally a dog.”  (Mr. Peterson)   “I prefer the term “literate” dog.”  (Mr. Peabody)

Things to look for:

• Van Gogh with bandages on his ears
• The little boy in Sherman’s classroom whose feet can’t reach the floor when he’s sitting down at his desk.
• Boxers with hearts on them
• The dog with the cone on its head at the beginning of the movie.
• Try to figure out what the mystery meat is on the cafeteria food trays.
• The picture of cats hanging in Principal Purdy’s office at school.
• Picture of Ghandi next to Sherman’s bed.
• Rubic’s cube (Hint:  look for Einstein).
• “I love New York” t-shirt and underwear.
• Bill Clinton cameo.

Tips for parents:  Some inappropriate jokes, but mostly harmless.  Parents and children watching the movie in the audience I sat with enjoyed the movie equally.  It’s certainly no Frozen magic, worthy of an Oscar, but it’s very energetic and fairly entertaining family fun.  The visits through time should spark some conversations with your kids about history…."not where, but when.”