Tots and their older siblings should get right into this picaresque live-action sequel, in which our three faithful but argumentative house pets fall in with a band of stray dogs and teach them the value of loyalty, courage and tolerance. Chance, a rambunctious American bulldog (voice of Michael J. Fox), Shadow, a wise old golden retriever (Ralph Waite), and Sassy, a persnickety Himalayan cat (Sally Field), get separated from their vacation-bound human family at the airport. While trying doggedly to make it back home, they have adventures around San Francisco, encountering a gang of tough mutts led by the jive-talking Riley (Sinbad). Comradeship blossoms, and even a bit of canine canoodling.
Kids will giggle at occasional crude jokes about doggie digestion and derrieres. The snarling fights aren’t bad, but a scene in which it’s briefly implied that one dog has been hit by a truck (he hasn’t) may give kiddies concern. They’ll also identify with the children shown worrying about their beloved lost pets and their happiness on finding them.
‘The Birdcage’ (R, 1 hr., 58 min.)
Hilarious right up until its oddly fizzled ending, this politicized Hollywood remake of the hit 1978 French farce will amuse teens, many of whom are more comfortable discussing issues of sexual preference than their parents are. They’ll encounter some profanity, mild sexual innuendo and plenty of gay humor. Some will giggle at the mere sight of a couple of middle-aged men desperately pretending to be straight, trying not to crook their pinkies while drinking coffee; more mature teens will note the message of family-is-as-family-does acceptance beneath the comic glitz.
Robin Williams plays Armand, the less fey half of Armand and Albert, Albert (wonderful Nathan Lane) being his partner in life and the oft-hysterical star of the floor show at their Miami nightclub, the Birdcage. Armand’s son (by a one-night stand 20 years before) announces that his fiancee is bringing her ultraconservative senator father (Gene Hackman) and his dutiful wife (Dianne Wiest) to meet them. Thus beginneth the mad rush to straighten Armand and Albert’s lifestyle for a day. Albert decides to play the wife in drag. The ruse collapses with riotous results, though the final revelations and reconciliations get mighty short shrift.
‘Fargo’ (R, 1 hr. 39 min.)
Graphic violence and strong profanity punctuate this odd, engrossing and often deliriously funny thriller set in the wintery wilds of Minnesota. Mature teens with an affinity for absurdist humor and tales of human folly may glom onto this one from the unfailingly original Coen brothers.
A dopey car salesman (William H. Macy), desperately in debt, plots to have his wife kidnapped so he can keep half the ransom paid by his wealthy father-in-law. But the guys he hires leave a bloody trail of victims under the nose of police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand). Good-natured, methodical and very pregnant, Marge lumbers toward the truth. The film’s greatest pleasures are watching her work and listening to her Minnesota lilt (“oh, yaah?”).
‘If Lucy Fell’ (R, 1 hr., 33 min.)
High-schoolers may groan their way through this smug, self-conscious, artsy-smartsy cutesy-dutesy comedy. Writer-director-star Eric Schaeffer plays a geeky artist who shares a flat with an equally neurotic psychotherapist (Sarah Jessica Parker). They have a pact to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if neither of them has found a committed relationship by the time they reach 30. The deadline approaches. Will they realize they’re in love with each other? Who cares? Strong profanity, sexual situations, toilet humor.
‘The White Balloon’ (not rated, 1 hr., 24 min.)
This charming subtitled movie from Iran may be a great introduction to foreign films for thoughtful kids 8 and up who don’t mind a slower pace of storytelling and an intimate look at a different culture. Razieh (the impish and expressive Aida Mohammadkhani), a 7-year-old girl in Tehran, begs her mother to let her go out alone and buy a beautiful new goldfish to celebrate the New Year in traditional fashion. In the bustling streets she loses her money down a sidewalk grate and spends the rest of the film seeking help. A simple story with a happy ending, this unassuming film does have an edge. Don’t take fidgeters or kids too young to read subtitles.
Jane Horwitz reviews movies for The Washington Post and other publications.
