Godzilla Minus One (PG-13)
Age 11+
Exciting, emotional kaiju tale has deaths, mass destruction.
“Godzilla Minus One” is a giant monster/kaiju movie set in post-World War II Japan. Expect lots of action violence, including guns and shooting, dead bodies, explosions, bloody wounds, punching, hitting with a blunt object, pulling hair, etc. A giant monster decimates a city with an atomic ray and smashes things with its feet and tail, crushing and eating humans and throwing trains and planes. There’s also dialogue about death, and a baby is orphaned. There’s a tentative romantic connection between two characters that isn’t realized until the end. Mild language includes uses of “damn,” “hell,” “idiot” and “stupid.” Characters drink sake with dinner; one person drinks more when upset, and a character is accused of being drunk. There’s also background smoking. One of the best movies in the Godzilla franchise, it explores themes of human value and survivor’s guilt and is surprisingly emotional. (125 minutes)
Family Switch (PG)
Streaming
Age 10+
Body-swap comedy has peril, mild language, drinking.
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“Family Switch,” starring Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms, takes the “Freaky Friday” concept a step further, with multiple family members switching bodies. It has positive messages about empathy and valuing family, but characters suffer a slew of accidents played for laughs, and the main characters spend most of the film unsure whether they’ll get back to their own lives. Language includes “hell,” “a--,” “butt,” “loser,” “hag,” “dork” and more insults, and there’s potty humor. Adults drink wine, and teenagers drink from red cups at a high school house party. Characters frequently fall down, including down stairs and over a railing. A baby and a dog swap bodies, putting the baby in harm’s way. A fistfight breaks out at a party, a man is kicked in the groin and a car nearly crashes multiple times in one speeding sequence. A teen is so scared of being bullied that he finds alternative ways to get down a school hallway. A married couple kisses, as do two high-schoolers, and one teen bullies another by saying that he’s “starting to cream” when a girl walks by. Each of the main characters feels overstressed and underappreciated, and they all gain insights into one another’s lives by walking in their shoes for a day — a lesson that could be applied more broadly to understanding and empathizing with people from all walks of life. (105 minutes)
Available on Netflix.
Good Burger 2 (TV-PG)
Streaming
Age 10+
Silly sequel has crude language, cartoonish violence.
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“Good Burger 2” is the sequel to the popular 1990s movie, reuniting stars/comedians Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. While it has crude humor and language, as well as plenty of violence played for laughs, there are also positive messages about the value of friendship and the pitfalls of greed. Characters are struck by cars, nearly hit by exploding fireworks, frozen for two decades, hit by lightning, bullied, threatened, nearly cut into french fries in a potato-processing plant and in danger due to an out-of-control self-driving car. People also take spills, fall from high places and get hit in the head by heavy objects. A robot goes crazy and shoots lasers from its eyes, exploding objects. A house catches fire. Language includes “hell,” “jacka--,” “punk-a--,” “nitwit,” “goons” and crude talk about farts, boogers, peeing and pooping. (90 minutes)
Available on Paramount Plus.
Candy Cane Lane (PG)
Streaming
Age 10+
Fun holiday action comedy has peril, innuendo, language.
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“Candy Cane Lane” is a holiday action comedy about a Christmas-obsessed man named Chris (Eddie Murphy) who runs into trouble while trying to win a decorating contest. The story turns on a fallen elf who has the power to shrink humans into tiny glass ornaments, and Chris is at risk throughout the film of being shrunk if he can’t complete a challenge that puts him and his family (including the kids) in harm’s way. This includes being attacked by all kinds of animals and armed characters coming to life. A chicken is beheaded, and a shrunken person gets an electric shock. Adults drink wine and beer at parties. A married couple kisses, and a shrunken man flirts with a life-size woman. Suggestive lines about blowup dolls and touching “another man’s stick” could fly over young kids’ heads. Language includes “hell,” “a--,” “dammit,” “what the ffff” and more. But in the end, family members realize they’re stronger together and should support one another in their individual pursuits. Tracee Ellis Ross co-stars. (107 minutes)
Available on Prime Video.
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