May 7, 2010
Racing Stripes - A Movie Review
Racing Stripes - A Movie Review Films Reviews from a Family Perspective by Phil Boatwright www.moviereporter.com With the synopsis and content, you can decide if the new films are suitable for your viewing. Video alternatives contain the same theme, but lack the offensive material. Racing Stripes. Bruce Greenwood, Hayden Panettiere, and with the voices of Frankie Muniz, Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Joe Pantoliano, Jeff Foxworthy and Snoop Dogg. Warner Bros. Kids#146; comedy. W-David F. Schmidt. D-Frederik Du Chau. Opens 1/14/05 A widowed rancher finds a lost zebra colt one cold and rainy night. Giving the animal shelter in his barn seems like the right thing to do. But no good deed goes unpunished. When his perky teenaged daughter spots the adorable striped yearling, it#146;s love at first sight. #147;Can we keep him? Please, Dad!#148; #147;We#146;ll see,#148; he says as they leave. Yeah, right. That little black and white pony is there to stay. What#146;s more, he#146;s going to impact their lives. This Warner Bros. comedy adventure may begin from a human perspective, but as soon as man and girl exit the barn, the shelter comes alive with talking animals, each trying to figure out what this strange-looking beast is. Even the newly dubbed Stripes doesn#146;t know what he is. But with four legs and a mane and tail, well, he must be a horse. But what kind of horse? The following day our four-legged protagonist spots a racetrack and meets two thoroughbred colts. They know who they are #150; they will one day be racehorses. That sounds pretty good to Stripes. If they are racehorses, then he must be, as well. Befriended by the farm#146;s misfit troupe of barnyard residents, led by a grumpy Shetland pony (voiced by Dustin Hoffman), a wise old goat (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg), and a deranged big-city pelican named Goose (voiced by Joe Pantoliano), who claims to be hiding out until the heat dies down in Jersey, Stripes is soon groomed to enter the Kentucky Open. And can you guess whom they get to ride our young champion? Why, the perky teenaged daughter, of course. #147;National Velvet#148; it#146;s not. Nor #147;Black Beauty.#148; Nor #147;Chicken Run,#148; for that matter. But the film, like the zebra who stars, has a lot of heart. Would it be my first choice for a film outing on a Friday night? No. But I wasn#146;t the intended audience. This one belongs to those who believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and in the suggestion that a zebra could outrun a trained thoroughbred. During the screening, I#146;d look around at the youngest members of the audience to see their reactions. Each was entranced. Every aspect seemed to delight them. Hey, it#146;s a comedy about talking animals, little animals struggling against big animals. Of course little ones will be entertained. But what about their forced-to-attend guardians? Well, as I say, it#146;s no #147;National Velvet,#148; but if you can leave your intellect at the door, you#146;ll find several humorous moments #150; enough to keep you engaged. But what may be most satisfying for moms and dads is the reaction from their offspring. Though there are a few too many poop jokes (the pelican attempts to drop loads on the heads of his enemies, and two very funny horse flies land in a pile of manure), generally, it#146;s a gentle comedy that also contains positive messages about friendship, wanting to be accepted, and going for the impossible dream. #147;Racing Stripes#148; is a winner. A delightful kids#146; film that parents will enjoy. PG (there are a couple of sexual innuendos that will no doubt go over the heads of the littlest audience members, a few flatulence jokes, and some barnyard poop humor, but overall it#146;s a satisfying kids#146; movie, one filled with positive messages). Go to Phil Boatwright#146;s website at: www.moviereporter.com for details on how to have reviews of new films delivered directly to your e-mail address. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com DEFINITIONS Crudity - Lacking in culture, tact Expletive - An obscene word or phrase Obscenity - Objectionable or repugnant to acceptable standards of decency or morality; indecent; pornographic; offensive in language or action. Profanity - Irreverence toward God or holy things Blasphemy - To speak impiously or contemptuously of God or sacred things Adult subject matter - Situations or subjects unsuitable for or difficult

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