THE ANT BULLY

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Should you bring the kids? Ok for kids 5 and older, but it contains the usual crude jokes and language issues -- including "butt" and "poop" -- found in most kid-movies these days. Also, some scenes might be a little scary for very young kids. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below.

THE STORY: Guess what? It's not all about us! That's right, there are lots of other worlds out there humming along quite nicely without us, thank you very much. And with Oscar-nominated director John A. Davis (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) and producer Tom Hanks to remind us of that, this is a fun family movie with some great life-lessons.

Ten-year-old Lucas Nickle (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen) recently moved to a new city with his family. But he hasn't made a single friend and gets nothing but grief from his teenage sister, Tiffany (Allison Mack). Not only that, his parents (Cheri Oteri and Larry Miller) are too busy planning their big anniversary trip to Puerto Vallarta to pay much attention to him (yet another in a long line of disinterested parents in kids' movies…sigh…).

Meanwhile, his kooky grandmother, Mommo (Lily Tomlin) spends all her time trying to protect the family from those outer-space aliens she's been reading about in the grocery store checkout line. To make matters worse, Lucas has become the number one target of local bully Steve (Myles Jeffrey), who never misses an opportunity to push him around.

Lucas vents his frustrations by taking it out on someone else -- namely, the anthills in his front yard. He tortures the tiny inhabitants by kicking them, stomping them, squirting them with the garden hose, and frying them with a magnifying glass.

But, unbeknownst to Lucas, there's a whole world alive and busy down there. Sure, they may be "just a bunch of stupid ants" to him, but in reality, they're actually members of a complex society, with names and relationships, responsibilities and emotions. And they're getting mighty tired of having their homes trampled by Lucas The Destroyer. They're ready to fight back!

But the ants' justice system doesn't include violence. Oh no, they have a more diplomatic way to deal with bullies, one that involves a magic potion created by Wizard Ant Zoc (Nicolas Cage). One drop in Lucas's gigantic human ear and he's instantly shrunk down to ant size and taken deep into the ant hill.

The Head of the Ant Council (Ricardo Montalban) proclaims Lucas guilty of "crimes against the colony." (I keep visualizing Capt. Kirk here.) To earn his freedom, Lucas is sentenced by the wise Ant Queen (Meryl Streep) to live among the ants and learn their ways. He suddenly finds himself in an incredible world teeming with life -- and peril -- that he never noticed or even imagined before.

Against Zoc's wishes, his kind-hearted partner, Nurse Ant Hova (Julia Roberts – how wonderful to hear her voice again!) volunteers to teach Lucas the ways of the colony and help him find that one special talent he has to contribute. She has some help from no-nonsense Forager Kreela (Regina King) and chatty Scout Fugax (Bruce Campbell).

Lucas' newfound "ant skills" will be put to the test when he's asked to help his new friends defend the colony against certain annihilation from exterminator Stan Beals (Paul Giamatti), in an epic life-and-death struggle waged on the Nickles' front lawn.

BRINGING THE KIDS:

PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): This movie is ok for preschoolers, but be aware that some scenes might be a little scary – in particular, menacing wasps, frogs, flyswatters, and bullies. Let your kids know it's ok if they decide the movie's too scary for them. Just like the lesson we learn from Lucas – we all have choices, and even little kids need to know they don't have to watch something if it's too intense. Also, there's some name-calling ("Hey, Pukas!"); the requisite PG crude humor, including "poop," "butt," and frog vomit; and the wasps decide to sting the exterminator's private parts.

GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): As Lucas adjusts to his new world, he learns important lessons about compassion, teamwork and loyalty that will serve him for the rest of his life. He also begins to gain the courage to stand up for himself and others. But the filmmakers don't knock us over the head with these messages. They unfold naturally so that when the end credits roll, kids will have been entertained and learned something at the same time. 

TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): While most kid-movies – including the similar "Antz" and "A Bug's Life" – spout valuable life-lessons of one sort or another, the ones that work don't talk down to kids. This movie falls into that category, using humor and grace (not to mention an impressive cast of voices) to tell a good story and remind us there's more to life than our own little world. This movie will teach kids: 1) to have compassion for others going through difficult situations; 2) it's ok to ask for help; and 3) they really DON'T know everything there is to know about the world!

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels

Jane's Reel Rating System:
One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels: Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

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