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WASHINGTON (November 13, 1998) --The 1-800-311-4CCC movie line reviews The Waterboy for the week of November 13-19. Also included on the toll-free line is a review of The Wind in the Willows, this week's suggested home video for family viewing.
The 800 movie review line is a project of the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC).
The November 13-19 list includes the following theater releases and their classifications according to moral suitability. Movies are evaluated according to artistic merit and moral suitability by the U.S. Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.
- The Wizard of Oz -- The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audiences. The Wizard of Oz returns Judy Garland's Dorothy to the big screen for her ride on a cyclone to the magic land over the rainbow in the classic musical fantasy that has delighted generations of families ever since its release in 1939. The movie's color images and soundtrack have been rejuvenated for the enjoyment of a new generation of young viewers.
- The Waterboy -- Because of fleeting nudity, some sexual innuendo, bruising athletic competitions, crude expressions and an instance of rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The Waterboy is a slack sports comedy in which dimwitted waterboy Adam Sandler becomes the star player of a Southern college's losing football team, despite the fierce objections of his wild-eyed Cajun mom. Sandler's sweetly stupid character is one of many Southern stereotypes in a halting comedy whose highest value is brute strength.
- Meet Joe Black -- Because of fleetingly intense violence, a discreet sexual encounter, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Meet Joe Black is a dull romantic fantasy in which Brad Pitt is Death in human form who delays claiming media magnate Anthony Hopkins in order to experience life on earth, including falling in love with the alarmed millionaire's vulnerable daughter. The soggy proceedings limp along for three interminable hours offering only opulent visuals to distract from the shallow characterizations.
- The Siege -- Because of some intense violence and mayhem, brief sexual innuendo and intermittent rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. The Siege is a shrill action picture in which FBI agent Denzel Washington and CIA operative Annette Bening search for Arab terrorists whose bombings have brought New York City under marital law. The densely plotted thriller raises provocative questions about democracy and racism which prove more interesting than the story itself.
- I Still Know What You Did Last Summer -- Because of excessive violence, sexual innuendo, recurring profanity and much rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a pointless horror sequel in which a quartet of college students vacationing at a remote Caribbean island hotel find the staff murdered and face a similar fate from a relentless, hook-handed killer. Any thrills are bogus and the plot predictable in this mindless parade of gory slaughters and mutilated corpses.
- I'll Be Home for Christmas -- Because of an indulgent attitude toward one character's lying, cheating and stealing as well as fleeting sexual innuendo, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. I'll Be Home for Christmas -- is a witless road movie in which a manipulative college student must get across the country by Christmas Eve to claim a luxury car, all the while worrying his girlfriend will fall for a romantic rival. The contrived situations are blandly unimaginative and the young man's transformation from smug to sweet unconvincing.
The classifications are A-I - general patronage; A-II - adults and adolescents; A-III - adults; A-IV - adults, with reservations (an A-IV classification designates problematic films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, require caution and some analysis and explanation as a safeguard against wrong interpretations and false conclusions); O - morally offensive.
The movie reviews are produced by the U.S. Catholic Conference (USCC) Office for Film and Broadcasting, which each week provides full length movie reviews, brief capsules and film classifications of new theater releases.
Reviewers include Henry Herx, Director, and Gerri Pare, Associate Director, of the Film and Broadcasting Office, which is funded by the CCC.
The capsule reviews are available on the World Wide Web. They can be found on two sites: http://www.nccbuscc.org and http://www.CatholicDigest.org/stops/movies/movies1.shtmll.
Full-length reviews of the above and other movies are available through America Online at the Catholic News Service site on AOL, and can be accessed by AOL members using the keyword, "CNS."