6 and older
“Shaun the Sheep Movie” (PG) Kids 6 and older — and their teen siblings, parents and grandparents — will chortle and whoop through this wacky stop-motion sheep’s tale from the geniuses at Aardman Studios. It has no intelligible dialogue but plenty of genuine emotions and gibberish that make perfect sense. Shaun first appeared in the Aardman short “A Close Shave” (1995) and has since had his own British television series. In the movie, he grows tired of the farm routine and organizes a sheep’s day off: He bribes a duck to keep the dog, Bitzer, occupied while the sheep lull the farmer into a stupor and lock him in a trailer. The trailer comes loose and bounces downhill to the Big City. The farmer hits his head and gets amnesia. Bitzer, Shaun and the rest of the sheep go to the city to save him. Trailed by a mean animal-control officer, the sheep don humans’ clothing, survive a riotous stay in the pound — complete with prison-movie spoofs — and work their way baaaaaack to a happy ending. (84 minutes)
THE BOTTOM LINE: Dashes of crude humor pop up throughout: burping and flatulence gags; the upper part of a man’s bare derriere; a man with his head stuck in the backside of a fake horse; manure jokes. The animal catcher wields a scary electric zapper.
10 and older
“Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” (PG) Not all kids will have the concentration for this beautiful animated adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s 1923 volume of poetry and philosophy, still much beloved. However, kids 10 and older, if they read a lot and like making and looking at art, could see this film as rare and transformative. An expanded plot has been overlaid onto Gibran’s poetic musings, with long contrasting interludes given over to his views on life, love, marriage, children, etc. These interludes may set some kids a-fidgeting. The story, however, is a good one: A man named Mustafa (voiced by Liam Neeson) has been exiled for seven years on an island. The authorities see him as a threat, because the townsfolk love him for his poetry, philosophy, art and talk of freedom. A young widow, Kamila (Salma Hayek), is Mustafa’s housekeeper. Her daughter, Almitra (Quvenzhane Wallis), hasn’t spoken since her father died. She’s a silent troublemaker, raiding the market with a mischievous sea gull pal. Almitra emerges from her shell after she meets Mustafa. (85 minutes)
THE BOTTOM LINE: There is an implied death, but nothing is shown. A comedic scene has a subtle sexual undertone. A couple is depicted naked from behind. Another sequence shows a couple dancing sensuously. The police treat people brusquely.
PG-13
“Z for Zachariah”: While it’s rated PG-13 and includes no graphic violence or sexual situations, “Z for Zachariah” is a mature tale told in a ruminative style and may be a better fit for high-schoolers. Based on a novel by Robert C. O’Brien, the film takes place in a green Appalachian valley, which by its location somehow was spared from a nuclear holocaust. Ann (Margot Robbie) lives alone on a little farm — perhaps alone in the world. She tills her fields and reads books from the library in the village below. She wears a protective suit when she goes there to avoid radiation. Out with her dog one day, she meets another human being, John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an engineer who survived the war because he worked deep underground. Ann nurses him through radiation sickness and tentatively, they become housemates — chaste, but with the possibility of love. Ann is religious and Loomis is not, but they don’t argue about it. Their idyll is interrupted by the appearance of Caleb (Chris Pine), a former coal miner eager for company and, Loomis suspects, to win Ann and squeeze him out. The two men cooperate on a building project and jockey for power the rest of the time. The ending is painfully problematic. (98 minutes)
THE BOTTOM LINE: The script includes single uses of the “F” word and the “S” word. It’s strongly implied that Ann and Caleb make love, but nothing is shown other than kissing and partial undress.
R
“We Are Your Friends” Zac Efron fans who have grown into the 17 and older range can have fun watching the talented, if insufficiently challenged, actor look good in the Southern California sun. He plays a struggling disc jockey trying to hone his dance/electronic mixing skills and break into the big time. Showbiz cliches and predictable plot turns abound in “We Are Your Friends,” but the film is an acceptable late-summer diversion for viewers older than 17 — just too profane and drug-and-sex focused for anyone younger. Cole (Efron) lives in the San Fernando Valley and hangs with his buddies, Mason, Ollie and Squirrel. No college for them. They do recreational drugs, take jobs at a sleazy real estate firm and make the electronic/dance music scene. Cole, however, is a talented DJ, creating original mixes designed to get ravers’ hearts a-pumping. The fun comes from watching Cole and the guys kid around, and hearing Cole find his sound in an art form the film takes seriously. (96 minutes)
THE BOTTOM LINE: The “F” word gets a lot of airings, along with other strong profanity. Some characters drink and others use drugs. One has a fatal overdose. Women appear topless at parties and in sexual situations, but the situations themselves are not explicit.
Horwitz has been reviewing movies for Washington-area media outlets including The Washington Post and WETA public television since 1988. The Family Filmgoer column offers weekly movie reviews with a focus on family, an invaluable tool for parents planning trips to the theater.