Shorts has a clever idea at its core, and several more hovering around it. It also has several films’ worth of kid-pandering gags involving pterodactyl poop, plus a monster made from a giant booger and a frantic tone sure to disorient anyone over the age of 12. That’s fine for the target audience, but a few scenes suggest that Rodriguez could have made a film grown-ups might want to watch too—like the first two Spy Kids movies, for example—and they make all the frenetic business around them that much tougher to take.
Rather than unfolding as a straightforward narrative, Shorts takes the form of several interlocked short films. That’s the clever idea, but apart from a recurring gag involving siblings locked in an epic staring contest, nothing comes of it. Remove the unusual structure, and the film remains much the same. The story involves a stone that makes wishes come true—at least those allowed by a modest CGI budget—and a soulless, James Spader-run corporation that manufactures gadgets whose many uses make iPhones look like abacuses. Once the wishing stone falls into children’s hands, the company town surrounding Spader’s headquarters becomes overrun with castles, aliens, and other kid-friendly dreams-come-true.
Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann have a couple of sly moments as overworked career people, and Spader again proves he learned a lot by working with William Shatner for so long. But the bottomless slapstick and silly effects quickly grow wearying, as does a cast of young actors whose work can politely be called energetic. A little enthusiasm goes a long way, but Rodriguez’s films too often demonstrate that it doesn’t go far enough.
Keep scrolling for more great stories from A.V. Club.