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IMDb > Shorts (2009)
Shorts
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Photos (see all 66 | slideshow) Videos (see all 25)
Shorts (2009) -- Shorts Theatrical Trailer - The discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes a stir in the suburban town of Black Falls, and grand-scale chaos occurs when the object falls into the hands of local adults.
Shorts (2009) -- Clip: I warned you to stay away
Shorts (2009) -- Featurette: The Rodriguez Family movie process
Shorts (2009) -- Interview : Kat Dennings "On the story"
Shorts (2009) -- oe Thompson's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes a stir in the suburban town of Black Falls, and grand-scale chaos occurs when the object falls into the hands of local adults.

Overview

User Rating:
4.8/10   1,271 votes
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Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert Rodriguez (written by)
Álvaro Rodríguez (additional material)
Contact:
View company contact information for Shorts on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 August 2009 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Not So TALL Tales From The Director Of 'Spy Kids'
Plot:
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it. | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
(186 articles)
The Notable Films of 2010: Part Six
 (From Dark Horizons. 27 December 2009, 10:09 AM, PST)

The Notable Films of 2010: Part Six
 (From Dark Horizons. 27 December 2009, 10:09 AM, PST)

User Reviews:
Good natured fun more (24 total)

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock (USA) (long title)
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MPAA:
Rated PG for mild action and some rude humor.
Runtime:
89 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The role of Stacey Thompson was to be originally played by Alexa Vega, but a scheduling conflict with her film, Broken Hill (2009), which was filmed in Australia lead to her having to be recast, Kat Dennings was cast instead. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Loogie wished to have the telephone gone, he was eating cereal and clearly wasn't holding the rock when he made the wish. The rock was on the table next to his bowl. more
Quotes:
Toe Thompson: That's it! Say hello to my little friend! more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Summer Never Ends more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "Shorts" based on a book?
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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful.
Good natured fun, 23 August 2009
7/10
Author: MartianCreature from Redondo Beach, CA

Shorts is amusing and doesn't take itself seriously at all. It resembles Malcolm in the Middle, with the central kid's narration, the high-speed montages, and exaggeratedly eccentric characters.

The plot winds around a strange rainbow-colored rock that grants wishes. Inevitable, this results as you would expect, with carelessly thought out wishes backfiring for some good-natured slapstick comedy.

The actors make a pretty good ensemble cast, and seem to be enjoying making the film, but I think they know there won't be a lot of Oscars handed out for this movie. The montages are used as a buffer between scenes. They simulate video camera rewinding, or the kid's confused memory right after eating too much sugary cereal--I'm not sure. But I do think they're used too much, making them distracting. The story is told in non-linear style, jumping from the present to flashbacks and back again, but this seems more of an unnecessary gimmick that really doesn't help tell the story.

The adult characters are nutty and over the top, but the actors faithfully go for the silliness and do adequately. The child actors do well too, especially newcomer Jolie Vanier, as the bitter rich girl bully. She has one of the few characters with enough dimension (albeit comically exaggerated) to logically evolve throughout the story, and plays the role to the hilt. Her facial expressions are hilarious, and dominate every scene she's in. This actress has a promising future.

What the movie makers were wishing for was a simple kids' comedy, and that's just what this film is, no more--no less. It's all just some good clean fun, clowning around for its own sake.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Shorts (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Did anyone else just absolutely hate this movie? AmadeusRockedMe
Robert tries too hard on his family films. Chiscokid88-1
So, WTF did the loser of the staring competition have to do? DraytonSawyer-akaTheCook
Why is this movie called Shorts? adl5557
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends: geonicviv
Can anyone tell me why... jameshowlett79
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