Sherlock Gnomes introduces kids to some classic characters

Movie Title:    Sherlock Gnomes

Grade:   B-

Rating: PG, 86 minutes

In a Nutshell:  With original music by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, this gnome animation is a gentle introduction to Sir Arthur Conan Dole’s classic story of Sherlock Holmes.  It has action, comedy, good music, and uplifting themes, making it an entertaining movie for kids and watchable enough for parents.

Tips for parents: 

• Profanity like “Cheese & Crackers!” and “Fertilizer!”
• You see quite a bit of a dancing gnome in a thong.  If you saw the first Gnomeo & Juliet, you’ve already been introduced to Mankini, a character kids will laugh at, yet one who is pretty inappropriate for young children, in my opinion.  The first Gnomeo & Juliet was rated G, but this one is PG for using some rude and suggestive humor.  Mankini's appearances definitely bumped up the rating. 
• There is some potty humor that will make most parents squirm.
• Some subtitles
• All British accents and landmarks in London.

Uplifting theme: 

• “We all have our good and bad sides.” – Watson (Chiwetel Ejiofor)
• “A man doesn’t make you strong, but the right partner can make you stronger.” – Juliet (Emily Blunt)
• “We took our best friends for granted.  We stopped listening.  We stopped giving them the respect they deserved.  They were the last thing we were thinking about and they should have been the first.” - Juliet
• Family and friendships

Things I liked:

• Star-studded, award-winning voice talents include James McAvoy, Johhny Depp, Michael Caine, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maggie Smith, and Mary J. Blige.
• The animation is very well done with impressively expressive characters.
• Lots of physical gags and entertaining visuals.
• Fun soundtrack of popular hits and new songs.
• It uses several different types of animation, which I thought was cleverly done.
• A couple of twists.  I love twists.
• The sound effects were really good, allowing you to hear the clay pots and hear the weight of the gnomes.
• Stay to the end of the rolling credits to see a few more little things.
• Kids will like the use of modern technology in the story telling.

Things I didn’t like:

• Sherlock Gnomes is pretty annoying and not very likable.  If only they had gotten Benedict Cumberbatch to play the voice!  He does a fantastic job in the TV adaptation.  That would have been awesome and hilarious.  Don't get me wrong, because Johnny Depp was fine, but Cumberbatch as Sherlock...come on!
• There are a lot of jokes that kids simply won’t get because they’re references to older generations, like the River Dance gag.
• I started to get bored.  It felt like a video I would put on for my kids at home to keep them occupied while I got some work done.

Funny lines:

• “To be fair, it was needlessly complicated, but that’s what super villains do.” – Moriarty

Want to learn more about Sherlock Holmes? Check out the original stories! The books are always better than the movies (except for the The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring / The Two Towers / The Return of the 
King Extended Editions) [Blu-ray])  

Here are also some fun Sherlock Holmes products you might get a kick out of.

                                 

                                                         

  

                                                                       @trinaboice

Max 2: White House Hero is meh

Movie Title:  Max 2: White House Hero

Grade:  C

Rating:  PG, 1 hour 25 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This family-friendly flick is DOGGONE harmless fun for the kids.  It's somewhat of a sequel to the 2015 Max (2015), produced by Warner Brothers and MGM. 

At the end of the movie, you get to see a bunch of cool pictures of U.S. presidents with their dogs.

Uplifting theme: 

• “There is no reward without risk.” – Alex (Francesca Capaldi)
• Keep your promises.
• Obedience, bravery
• Family, friendship

Things I liked:

• I love Washington, D.C.  The images of those epic buildings strike patriotism into every American’s heart.
• Max is a great dog.  When I was growing up, everyone had a German Shepherd.  You just don’t see them as often anymore as family pets.
• Alex, the little Russian girl played by Francesca Capaldi, is super cute.
• Beautiful countryside scenes during the river rafting trip.
• I love twists, even if they’re expected.

Things I didn’t like:

• None of the original Max cast or crew were involved in this sequel.  That’s pretty unique for a sequel…and weird, right?
• A lot of the acting is really bad, like....most of it.
• I have a hard time believing that a child of the president wouldn’t think it was the coolest thing ever.  The First Son does a lot of whining.  It’s pretty hard to believe he’d be sent with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his first day of public school.  Both seem extremely unlikely.
• Max only does a few heroic acts; otherwise, he rolls around and gets pet a lot.
• As is typical for kids’ movies, the children are smarter than all of the adults.
• Unimaginative dialogue.
• Older kids and parents might get bored.
• The script is pretty dumb.

Funny lines:

• “I hope she looks good in orange.” – TJ Bennett  (Zane Austin)   Parents might need to explain the prison uniform reference to their kids.

Tips for parents: 

• No profanity whatsoever.  Yay!
• You might need to explain American-Russian political relations.  The Russian president in the movie is a version of the manly Vladimir Putin.
• People fall out of a river raft and are caught in peril.
• The children are disobedient.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice