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QUICK PLOT SUMMARY:
Animated/Children - Six classmates and their principal must stop a man with plans to end recess and summer vacation permanently.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G
- The MPAA rated this film G and is appropriate for all audiences.
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FAST FACTS:
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| Release Date | .... February 16, 2001 |
| Running Time | .... Aprox. 100 Minutes |
| Genre | .... Animated |
| Director | .... Chuck Sheetz |
| Writer | .... Jonathan Greenberg |
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Reviewer's Corner
Spring Fever Bound To Hit After "Recess"
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Spring Fever may come a little earlier in the elementary schools this year, thanks to the latest kid flick Recess: School's Out. This full length animated tale stems from Recess, a weekly cartoon from the Disney/ABC Saturday morning lineup. The whole gang is here and nothing much differs from the show, including the animation quality, which feels more like Yellow Submarine or a segment of Schoolhouse Rock, than what we are used to from Disney. For those who are seeking top-notch advanced computer animation, I hate to say Recess doesn't cut the mustard. But for kids who love the show already, the film brings more of the same fun entertainment that should keep 'em captivated the entire 87 minutes.
Here's the premise: fourth grader T.J. realizes on the last day of school that his five best friends are being sent off to various summer camps, and he is facing the entire summer alone. After saying goodbye to all his pals, T.J. is riding around on his bike when he notices something fishy going on at his school. When he looks further into the matter, he realizes something is not right and goes to the police. When no one buys his story, T.J. decides to take matters to Principal Prickly, who is hesitant at first, but winds up helping T.J. and the rest of the kids (who are recruited out of their camps) save their school from a dreaded adversary with plans to do away with summer, and along with it, summer vacation.
From the eight to twelve year olds, Recess: School's Out is the best thing to come along since peanut butter and jelly. In the words of the main character, it is the "ultimate kid adventure" that includes eating ice cream, chasing bad guys, and singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" as they plot and scheme the summer away. For parents who look forward to films they can share with their children, this one has fun with the psychedelic Beatle-esque animation and a loopy 60s soundtrack that includes such flower child faves as "Green Tambourine", "Let The Sunshine", and "Incense and Peppermints". They may also appreciate James Woods and Dabney Coleman's participation. Coleman's character is drawn to look exactly like him, but for some reason his voice is awkwardly pitched higher. Neither go over the top for their voice work here.
Movies like this make it hard for parents to explain to their grade schoolers that it isn't okay for them to be running around foot loose and fancy free in the middle of the night during summer vacation (or any time for that matter). Kids learn from this film that if they see something strange, they ought not bother to report it because the grown ups won't listen anyway, and this includes police officers. They also see that if something is wrong, they can handle it alone, without telling anyone what they are doing. This is also a bad thing to teach kids, as they obviously need to be able to tell the adults in their lives when something is amiss. Kids in this movie run away from camp and don't bother sharing the news with their parents, and even get other kids to cover for them. The camp counselors never know the kids are missing until their assistance is needed to save the day, and even then, no one questions the kids (or calls the parents) who have been sneaking out every night, they just gladly get in on the madness.
Yes Recess: School's Out is certainly a film made for kids who have no clue about life's hazards, and like television, often paints a false portrait of the real world, which can be a dangerous thing. Recess only teaches kids one lesson that is worth learning, that grown-ups were children once, and they aren't clueless about what it feels like to be a kid. Meanwhile, the story attempts to remind the adults that they often forget what it is like to be a kid and sometimes need a refresher course. At any rate, Recess: School's Out is fun if you don't get hung up on what bad habits your kids might learn from it. Parents simply need to remember they have the power of choice, where the media's influence on their children is concerned.
Reviewed by C.A. Batchelor
What do YOU think? -- February 21, 2001
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WHO SHOULD SEE THIS MOVIE:
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- AS A DATE MOVIE
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- Poor Bet - This one is meant for the grade schoolers, and would only be a good movie for daters if they chose the back row and used the time to do some smooching. (Hey! Not in front of the kids!)
- CHICK FLICK
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- Poor Bet - Moms may not mind this one too much if they find themselves taking the tots to catch Recess: School's Out, especially the musical portions that offer songs they will probably be familiar with. Short of that, this film certainly isn't a chick flick!
- GUYS MOVIE
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- Poor Bet - The guys might enjoy thinking back to those summers when they rode their bikes everywhere and had madcap adventures with their buddies. Beyond that, Recess: School's Out is not the kind of animation men stay up all night watching with their friends (like Japanese Anime), but rather a cartoon they might only enjoy with their children or younger siblings.
- CHILDREN
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- Great Bet - Kids will definitely want to see this film if they are already fans of the television show. Perfect fun for kids 8-12, unless their parents object to the freedom the children enjoy in the film.
- TEENAGERS
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- Poor Bet - The teens will find this movie babyish and aimed too directly at the grade school crowd, which they are relieved to no longer be a part of. Forget this one for teens!
- GENERATION X
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- Poor Bet - While Gen Xers will be bored by this children's film, it's likely they would enjoy a laugh over the "Hey Teacher! Leave them kids alone!" line and the psychedelic flashback. Needless to say this one is probably only good for Gen Xers with kids!
- BABY BOOMERS
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- Poor Bet - Boomers may get a chuckle out of Robert Goulet's participation in this movie meant for fourth graders, and might think James Wood and Dabney Coleman as hippie principals in the 60s is a funny idea. However, this film is really aimed at the elementary school audience, and is probably only entertaining to those who are enjoying it with kids.
- MATURE AUDIENCES
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- Probably OK - Grandma might not mind remembering what summers were like as a youngster, but Recess: School's Out is likely only a cartoon the older folks will appreciate sitting next to the grand kids.
- INTELLECTUALS
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- Poor Bet - Intellectuals who make a point of catching the latest in animation regardless of its target audience won't be missing much if they don't see Recess: School's Out. Nothing big-budget about the cartoon, and the avid movie-goer won't get much out of it unless they watch it with their favorite little person.
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WHAT PARENTS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE THEIR CHILDREN SEE THIS MOVIE:
MOVIE DETAILS:
- VIOLENT ACTS
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- Some - All played in fun, like most Saturday morning cartoons (think: Scooby Doo violence). Two men are shot and taken down with some kind of laser weapons; someone is zapped when they try to open a door, and appears to be disintegrated so that only his shoes are left behind; a little girl rams her head in to a man's abdomen; a man is tied and bound in his shirt and boxer shorts; a bunch of ninjas chase kids around, and grab one; men and women punch each other in the face and stomach; kids inside a school undergo a huge explosion but no one is hurt; kids throw marbles on the floor in front of men that are chasing them, causing them to trip and fall; someone uses a giant laser to shoot at the moon; someone dumps a huge pot of rotten clam chowder on the head of another; someone falls down a flight of stairs; kids accidentally bury another little boy; scary men chase a bunch of kids around; kids do battle with exploding soda, water balloons, silly string, rubber balls, ropes, nets, catsup and mustard; men are tricked into falling into a big pit they can't get out of; a woman's big behind gets her stuck as she climbs through a basement window; a bunch of tiny tots attack a group of ninjas, but the ninjas just run away; a kid in a trash can has garbage dumped on him; a group of kids fall out of an air duct and crash onto the floor about eight feet down; two people are locked up in a cage; a rather heavyset woman scaling a wall falls to the ground, landing (and squashing) on the small child below; mean grown ups chase children around in a threatening manner.
- SEX/NUDITY
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- Little - A boy reads his sister's personal diary out loud, and mentions her fantasies of being held by a boy she has a crush on, and talk of kissing. an adult who has been taken hostage sits in nothing but boxer shorts and a t-shirt; an old woman refers to her large behind as "bodacious hips"; an educator refers to "picking up chicks" and someone who "took his chick".
- PROFANITY
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- Little - Jerk; butt; maggot; jeez; heck; dang.
- TENSE SCENES
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- Little - A door is blown open, and two men are attacked by a group of intruders, shot with laser guns and left unconscious; a child on his bike notices something weird is happening at the school, and is chased away by a scary man; kids break into a school at night and find all kinds of weird things going on.
- IMMORAL/ILLEGAL BEHAVIORS
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- Some - Breaking and entering; running away from camp without telling the grown ups; covering for kids who have sneaked out at night and not told anyone; revenge; greediness; attempting to alter the lunar orbit; selling contraband snacks at a military camp; talk of teepee-ing someone's house; taking people hostage and trying to hurt them; doing away with recess and summer vacation; bullies; blackmail; disrespecting authority; police laugh at a child's report of strange occurrences at the school; impersonating someone else in an insulting manner; stealing.
- QUESTIONABLE CONTENT / UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS
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- Little - Kindergartners eat and wear paste; two siblings can't speak civilly to each other and use blackmail to manipulate; a camp counselor speaks unnecessarily rough to one boy in his camp; a mother goes off to the bathroom in search of petroleum jelly and the rectal thermometer; the lunch lady claims she hid the ice cream all year so she can sell it during the summer for supplies the school desperately needs; the teachers reflect back on when it was the psychedelic 60s, and the flashback makes everyone look like flower children and talk "way hip", which some grownups might think is a drug reference; a boy tattles on some classmates, and later makes a joke about someone else being a "squealer"; a boy belches extremely loud; someone holds a grudge for several years.
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- Children's Value Rating
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A terrific hour and a half cartoon for kids who are already fans of the show, or just want to enjoy a movie made just for them, providing parents don't mind the unrealistic freedom the fourth graders have in the story.
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