When is Hollywood going to stop targeting movies directly to kids? The end products, like most materials we refer to as “end products,” stink to the high heavens and don’t end up appealing to either kids or adults, although it seems that the studio bigwigs are betting that the zany appeal of Ashley Tisdale (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and High School Musical) will carry over to the tweens.
Of course, that begs the question of why bury her in favor of Carter Jenkins, a phenomenally unremarkable lead with a host of one-off television credits to his name (everything from Everwood and The Bernie Mac Show to House and Lost. In the end, it probably doesn’t really matter because the movie is a glorified test reel for director John Schultz who seems eager to transition from the family-friendly urban bush league (Like Mike, The Honeymooners) to the mainstream Little League.
The kid-friendly battle between the totally uncool kids (and poor Doris Roberts) and the Aliens in the Attic feels like a sitcom premise that snapped at the half-hour point and was hastily stapled back together. Grade: D
Opens July 31. Check out theaters and show times, see the film's trailer and get theater details here.
