ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY
Parodies of TV news teams have been popular ever since "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the 1970's, so it must have seemed like a great idea for comic Will Ferrell to star in a bigscreen satire of those days. Although "Anchorman" does feature a few genuinely hilarious moments - especially the 'rumble' between the town's rival newsteams - the film's first major problem is that it just isn't very funny. "Anchorman's" other major problem is far more upsetting... its PG-13 rating gives parents no indication that, among other things, this lame news parody features sexual scenes, horrendous language - including several mentions of the 'F' and "S" words - 'comic' dismemberment, mutilation, animal cruelty, gay stereotypes and drug references. Strictly bad news for younger filmgoers, for 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
95 minutes Warning: Don't be misled by its PG-13 Rating ("Anchorman" contains inappropriate sexual 'humor,' language, violence and animal cruelty!)

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN
In "Cheaper By The Dozen," Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt play Tom and Kate Baker, the likable parents of a small army of cliched, insufferably "cute" kids: a dozen stock characters ranging in age from 21-year old Nora to a set of pre-school twins. Although it's inspired by the true story of Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth and the 1950 film of the same name, this so-called remake is a literally by-the-numbers, disappointing sitcom. In films as predictable as this one, it's always much funnier to watch good old dad trying desperately to divide his time between his demanding coaching duties and the overwhelming needs of his 11 dysfunctional, selfish, destructive, disobedient children! Are you laughing yet? In all fairness, the PG-rated "Cheaper By The Dozen" could be worse. At least it's only 98 minutes long. Bottom line: 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
Rated PG for sitcom bathroom humor.

A CINDERELLA STORY
In what seems like the umpteenth Cinderella variation, this year alone, Hillary Duff stars as Samantha, whose dad died suddenly and without a will. His new wife, Fiona, moves in to take ownership of the family restaurant and, naturally, makes Sam slave away all day at the diner, where her classmates insult her by calling her "Diner Girl." In the little spare time she has left, Sam studies hard to win a scholarship to Princeton and dreams of a relationship with Austin, the football captain who doesn't seem to know that she's alive.
"A Cinderella Story" could actually be called "Cinderella Gets Mail," since it 'borrows' the basic plot of the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan film, "You've Got Mail," with Sam and Austin e-messaging each other and falling in love without realizing that they pass each other in the school halls everyday. Although most of the film's second half makes little or no sense, this PG-rated fantasy is still a lot better than most of the so-called comedies targeted at 'tween' audiences these days.
2 1/2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
95 Minutes Rated PG for typical teen language

CLICK
I know what you're thinking... another Adam Sandler comedy... oh, goody.

You've all seen the trailer for Click, about a universal remote that actually does control the entire universe, a direct variation on Jim Carrey's 2003 comedy, Bruce Almighty. Alrighty then. And, to be fair, the film starts off with all the bathroom humor and (yes) the fart jokes we've come to expect by now. But then a strange thing begins to happen... we actually begin to care about Sandler's overworked architect, Michael Newman.

Never mind about how he comes by the all-but-omnipotent remote (it's obviously a dream); the point is that he starts using it to fast-forward and rewind through his life, skipping through all the unpleasant things like his workaholic schedule and love-making with his beautiful wife, Donna, played expertly by Kate Beckinsale. In this section of the film, the trailer's promise actually delivers, as Michael takes his gross-out revenge on his yahoo of a boss, played hilariously by David Hasselhoff (of all people). But the remote has an insidious, dark side: it can't be returned. Far worse, it can't be reversed and, when it starts randomly jumping ahead, past his father's death, his alienated son's own workaholism and his tiny daughter's instantaneous transformation into an arrogant and seductive knockout, we can actually feel the anguish of Michael's misspent life. He has become fabulously successful but at the cost of losing his soul and his beloved family in the process.

If you haven't yet figured out that Click is a very clever variation on Charles Dicken's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra's 1946 film classic, It's a Wonderful Life, you clearly haven't seen too many movies. It also steals directly from a 1963 Twilight Zone episode entitled "A Kind of a Stop Watch" and from 1993's luminous Groundhog Day, which, like Click, gave its own normally abrasive star, Bill Murray, the chance to change his low-comedy image by doing some truly brilliant acting.
Judging from his 2002 attempt to remake Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, it's clear that Sandler sees himself as far more than a slob comic. With Click, he comes a long way toward proving himself as an accomplished actor who can make us care enough about his sorrows to want him to have that storybook second chance. Fall-down funny but also incredibly touching, Click is a major surprise... an Adam Sandler film that actually deserves 4 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale!
97 minutes
PG-13 (Sexual references and Profanity)

CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN
For many school-age girls, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" will probably remind them of the melodramatic highs and lows of their own lives. Like "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," this PG-rated teen comedy uses fantasy sequences and characters talking directly to the audience to make its points about how tough it is to be a modern teenager. Lindsay Lohan stars as 15-year old Lola, who was already prone to over-dramatizing nearly everything, even before her single mom, Karen, decided to move her family from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. Now Lola has to face life in a brand new school, in this under-written, lazily acted, corny, predictable and deadly dull "comedy," which earns just 1.5 tickets out of 5 on the "Mr. Movie" Scale
97minutes
Rated PG for language and teenage-oriented humor

ELF
"Elf" is a sweet-natured fish-out-of-water fable about Buddy, a human who was raised as an elf after he sneaked out of his toddler's bed at an orphanage and into Santa's bag, on a Christmas eve, 30 years ago. Now well over six feet tall, Buddy has begun to feel slightly out of place among his tiny fellow-elves living and working happily in Santa's Workshop. When his gentle stepfather, played by Bob Newhart, finally informs him that his real father is a children's book publisher in New York City, Buddy eagerly sets off in search of him, in this one-joke comedy that's funny enough for 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
Rated PG

ELOISE AT THE PLAZA
"ELOISE AT THE PLAZA" stars 6-year old Sofia Vassilieva as everyone's favorite little troublemaking heiress. In this G-rated adventure, she drives the manager of New York's prestigious Plaza Hotel crazy, while he's trying desperately to get everything just right for the upcoming debutante ball, which will also be attended by an honest-to-gosh prince! As if that isn't enough to worry about, Eloise also takes it on herself to act as a matchmaker for her frazzled Nanny, played by 'Mary Poppins,' herself, Julie Andrews, in this kid-friendly made-for-TV movie that's just perfect for young readers (and Julie Andrews fans of all ages).

FREAKY FRIDAY
First filmed in 1976, "FREAKY FRIDAY" starred future Oscar-winner Jodie Foster as a young girl who switches minds with her mother. In 1995, Shelly Long starred in an equally-popular made-for-TV remake, but the third version of this popular fantasy, based on the novel by Mary Rodgers, is not only better than either of the earlier versions, it's also one of the year's best family films. Jamie Lee Curtis is wonderful as Tess, the frustrated mom who swaps minds with her beautiful teenaged daughter, Anna, played by Lindsay Lohan. Both actresses actually manage to make us believe their confusion, as each one discovers how hard it can be to see the world through someone else's eyes.
Rated PG for some mild profanity and a few interrupted kissing scenes.

GALAXY QUEST
Obviously targeting the zillions of "Trekkies," "Galaxy Quest" delights in spoofing the cult status of a fictional sci-fi series whose hopelessly-typecast stars have been reduced to appearing at an endless series of fan conventions, ever since the show was cancelled 20 years ago. Unfortunately for them, however, a race of gentle aliens has been (what else?) monitoring our TV transmissions and, believing that the cast is a band of real heroes, they whisk them off to their distant galaxy to help them fight a race of hideous alien monsters! A wonderful satire that manages the neat trick of making fun of sci-fi groupies and praising them at the same time! 4 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie scale.
1999 - Rated PG 102 Minutes

GARFIELD: THE MOVIE
Fans of the comic strip and the cartoon series will instantly recognize their favorite, overweight, totally self-centered feline, whose voice is provided by funnyman Bill Murray. Fortunately for us, Garfield comes up with lots of genuinely funny lines when his owner, Jon Arbuckle, disrupts things by bringing home a sweet-natured dog named Odie. When Garfield tricks Odie into sleeping outside for the night, he runs away and eventually gets himself kidnapped by an evil TV-show host, wonderfully played by "Groundhog Day's" Stephen Tobolowsky. Feeling responsible, Garfield reluctantly sets out to rescue his little friend, with the help of his animal buddies. The result is some of the funniest moments and in-jokes in this surprisingly enjoyable family film which runs away with 3 1/2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
82 minutes PG (Cartoon violence and language)

LEGALLY BLONDE 2
Red, White & Blonde" is the disappointing sequel to the likable 2001 original, which also starred Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, the prom queen who proved that she had a lot more going for her than her looks by becoming a lawyer. In the inevitable sequel, Elle takes on Congress after her protest about animal rights causes her to lose her job in a Boston law firm. Obviously trying to be an update of the 1939 film classic, "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington," "Legally Blonde 2" has its heart in the right place. Unfortunately, it never gets around to using its head and the result is a predictable and simplistic so-called Washington "comedy" that gets a definite "NO" vote from me.
Rated PG-13 for some surprisingly inappropriate and sexually-related humor.

MEAN GIRLS
"Mean Girls" uses humor to point out how cruel teenagers can be to each other, especially to newcomers like Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a pretty teenager enrolled in upscale North Shore High School after being home-schooled by her parents in Africa. Struggling to fit in, Cady's fresh perspective allows her to observe the bizarre social rituals that most teens are forced to go through as normal rites of passage. Cady becomes offended by The Plastics, a group of spoiled, rich girls, whose leader keeps a secret "burn book" that's filled with ugly lies about anyone she and her sister-Plastics happen to dislike. Cady pretends to join The Plastics, with the intention of destroying them from the inside, but she begins to enjoy her new-found status as a member of the elite group, in a well-intentioned but surprisingly cruel teen comedy that gets a passing grade of 4 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
Rated PG-13 for excessive amounts of profanity, sexual situations, gay stereotypes and (imaginary) violence. 90 Minutes

NEW YORK MINUTE
How can a 90-minute "comedy" feel like it's 5 hours long? When the now-grownup Olsen Twins star in a badly written, good girl-bad girl, mistaken identity, big city romp without a single decent laugh or line of dialogue. Obviously targeted at their huge adolescent audience, "New York Minute" would be barely passable entertainment as a TV-movie. While their younger fans may be content to see their idols cut school, get chased by a truant officer and a corporate pirate and still have time to do lame rock video montages, older fans and their folks will probably be ready to leave the theatre in considerably less than a "New York Minute," which is dull enough for 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.

THE PINK PANTHER
2006 - 93 minutes
Rated PG for occasional crude and suggestive humor and language.

In this half-hearted remake of the 1964 original, Steve Martin tries and fails to replace the late Peter Sellers. The so-called "plot" starts when French soccer coach Yves Gluant is murdered and his enormous diamond, the Pink Panther, is stolen. Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) needs a complete incompetent to officially mishandle things, so that he can then step in and solve it, himself and win the Medal of Honor. Yawn. He promotes ignoramous Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) to Inspector and assigns Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno) to be his partner. Ponton is supposed to report directly to Dreyfus while Clouseau tries to solve the incomprehensible crime.

Beyonce Knowles plays chief suspect Xania, an international pop star who was Gluant's girlfriend, and Martin - naturally - mugs outrageously for the camera. Most of the sight gags fall flat on their face, misunderstandings and mispronunciations occur on a regular basis, Clouseau continually attacks Ponton to make sure that he's always prepared (with the obvious result that Clouseau is always getting punched in the face) and, of course, Clouseau mangles the word "hamburger," while trying to master English. And that's about it.

Poor Steve Martin is trapped by his inability to come up with a decent French accent, Kevin Kline is trapped by his inability to even come close to the sheer brilliance of Herbert Lom, as the irreplaceable original Chief Inspector Dreyfus and the script just isn't very funny. None of which will really matter to the little ones in the audience who mercifully won't be able to compare the original with this lame remake. They should also have no trouble laughing out loud at all the bathroom humor. But parents, unfortunately, won't be so lucky, as they try to stay awake for 93 interminable minutes of this exercise in stupity, which earns just 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.

THE PRINCE & ME
"The Prince & Me" rises above its familiar tale of a hard-working, all-American farm girl named Paige, whose goal of becoming a doctor takes an unexpected detour when she meets Eddie, a girl-chasing rich kid who also happens to be the Crown Prince of Denmark! Running away from the serious responsibilities his destiny holds for him, Prince Edvard enrolls at Wisconsin University, where he plans to major in chasing girls. Not surprisingly, especially for a modern-day fairy tale, his first encounters with Paige are awkward and embarrassing for him. But her earnestness, dedication and natural beauty enchant him so much that he tries to become the kind of man who would be worthy of someone like her. "The Prince & Me" emerges as a PG-rated tale that mixes enough dreams, romance and self determination for 3 1/2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
Parents should know that, except for two serious kissing scenes, this film is perfect for all but the youngest filmgoers.

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

Well, let’s see… yep, it’s just three days after Halloween and already we’ve got Christmas to contend with, in the bizarre form of The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, the third and least-appealing film in the enormously popular (not to mention enormously profitable) Disney series.

Way back in 1994, Tim Allen starred in the first Santa Clause, a cute fantasy about a normal guy named Scott Calvin who accidentally kills the jolly old elf and then gets to actually replace him. $145 million at the box-office convinced the folks at Disney that a sequel was a great idea and, in 2002, The Santa Clause 2 gave Scott a high school principal wife (Elizabeth Mitchell) and another $139 million in ticket sales, which - naturally - leads us to The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, which should be a laugh riot for the entire family.

For instance… it’s that time of year and, while Santa/Scott is working overtime, overseeing the toy output of his elves, his very pregnant wife is overdue and overly upset at his absence. Not only that, but, to keep her happy, he’s brought her overcritical parents (Ann-Margret and Alan Arkin) to the North Pole by making them think they’re in Canada. Pretty funny, eh? Uh… no. Not enough complications for a 91-minute comedy? Okay, how about if we throw in Jack Frost (Martin Short), a real creep who wants to steal Santa’s thunder by making the North Pole into a frosty, tacky theme park. Still not laughing at all the hilarity yet? Okay, let’s have a gathering of all the mythical figures we’ve all grown up with, like Mother Nature (Aisha Tyler), the Easter Bunny (Jay Thomas), Father Time (Peter Boyle) and Cupid (Kevin Pollak) and, last but not least, a really tacky take-off on that genuine holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, in which Scott gets to see what Christmas would be like if he hadn’t inherited Santa’s life and problems.

Not surprisingly, family and family values win out in the end and, although it’s all excruciatingly predictable and dull for the grownups, the good news is that the little ones in your life will love it anyway and that’s the real magic of holiday movies, even if they do arrive two months early, for 2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
91 minutes Rated G

SLEEPOVER
"Sleepover" is the latest variation on the age-old, pre-teen 'rite-of-passage' comedy. This time, a group of middle-schoolers sneak out of a slumber party to compete in a scavenger hunt. The winners will get the Number One Best Spot in the school lunch room. Huh? Don't ask. While parents will undoubtedly cringe at the light-hearted approach "Sleepover" takes to middle-schoolers lying, bribing, sneaking and stealing, all in the name of 'fitting in," younger movie lovers will probably have fun with this so-called 'comedy,' which barely manages to steal 2 1/2 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie scale.
90 Minutes
Warning: Although "Sleepover" has been given a PG-rating, parents should be aware that - although nothing really terrible happens - this teen comedy contains a surprising number of sexual references and (unsuccessful) attempts at peer pressure to experiment with sex! "Sleepover" also contains inappropriate language and Implied nudity.

SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
Drew Latham, played by Ben Affleck, is a selfish jerk who gets dumped by his girlfriend and immediately decides to return to his childhood home. The trouble is that another family happens to be living there, so Drew offers them $250,000 to act as his surrogate family. Huh? Besides the fact that the script has no laughs, Ben Affleck is positively atrocious in this Christmas travesty that only a Grinch could love, for 1 whole ticket out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
92 excruciating minutes
Rated PG-13 for language, adult situations and lots of cartoon violence

13 GOING ON 30
Set in 1987, the latest version of "Freaky Friday" stars TV's Jennifer Garner as Jenna Rink, a lonely ugly-duckling who makes a birthday wish to be as popular as the 'cool' kids in her school. When she wakes up the next day, 17 years have somehow passed, she has no idea where her friends and family are, she's a gorgeous editor for a trendy woman's magazine called 'Poise' and she seems to be living with a great looking professional hockey player! Excited by her first real taste of freedom and power but confused and terrified at the same time, the 13-year old manages to track down Matt, her old childhood friend and former-admirer, to help her figure things out. With his help, Jenna begins to realize how important it is to just 'be yourself' and how following your heart, instead of the crowd, can ultimately change your life.
Parents should know that this film is rated PG-13 for some awkward Adult Situations and some Profanity, which may make some children uncomfortable. Younger movie fans - especially girls - should love this sweet-natured wish-fulfillment fantasy that conjures up 4 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
Rated PG-13 98 minutes