A Geeky Dad's Movie Guide: Storks... an Allegory for Parenthood
Since I didn't take my daughter with us to see Dr. Strange on Saturday, I decided to make it up to her by letting her pick the next movie. She chose "Storks", and I am incredibly happy that she did.
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A quick disclaimer: If you are the parent of an only child, please be prepared. The plot of the movie centers around a boy who is an only child who desperately wants a little brother. If your child has a tough time with the topic, I'd steer clear. All of the single kids in the audience seemed to enjoy the movie so I am probably being hypersensitive, but I figure a little heads up couldn't hurt.
Within the first 10 minutes of the movie I was already super biased to like it. Very early on, while the little boy on the screen was wishing he had a brother, my daughter turned to me and said, "I like Timmy a little more right now". Timmy is MJ's older brother. She normally complains about him being the "meanest meanie that ever meaned". But as she saw the lonely boy on the screen, she actually appreciated having a brother. That immediately put me in a great mood.
This is how happy I was!
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Even if I weren't biased, I would have thoroughly enjoyed this move. I was expecting very little and was pleasantly surprised. It is actually really funny and heartwarming. I'm a Brooklyn 99 fan so merely hearing Adam Sandberg's voice coming out of a stork made me laugh a bit.
Its a kids movie so the plot is not very complicated... but it has enough to make it interesting. The movie centers around a delivery service run by storks. The storks have been out of the baby delivery business for 18 years and now deliver packages instead. A surprise baby appears and must be secretly delivered. Not all the storks want the baby delivered so hijinks ensues. To add a little more fun, a human girl, who was raised by the storks, has to help make the delivery.
The movie is short (90 minutes) and has almost no lulls. Even though this is a kids movie, the writers clearly targeted entertaining the parents as well. To be honest, it was one of my favorite allegories for parenting that I have seen in quite a while. It covers the emotional parts of parenting like the family bond, protective instinct and separation anxiety. Luckily, it also parodies some of the most hysterical parts of parenting like trying to get your baby to fall asleep, how to keep her asleep, and how to get her to eat. (Please note, I can say "hysterical" now because my kids are 9 and 11 so they are past the sleeping part... but getting them to eat healthy is still no laughing matter). The writer, Nick Stoller, managed to handle these parenting issues and inside jokes in a way that were still entertaining to the kids.
I would not have laughed at this eight years ago...
I may have even cried.
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Stoller included plenty of action for the kids. There are many chase scenes and a few very funny fight sequences. He even managed to work in a short, useless, but hilarious musical number. My children and nearly all the other children in the audience were roaring with laughter on several occasions. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but I must say that the wolfpack was one of the funniest things I have seen in any movie in a long time. The movie was simply fun.
However, this movie was not just vapid entertainment; and it was not aimed solely at kids. Stoller also included a pretty big piece of advice for us adults. As a parent, I received one very important message from this movie: spend time with your kids because "you're going to blink and they will be in college". Great advice!
This movie made me laugh, reminded me of the early days of parenting, made my daughter appreciate her brother, and encouraged me to spend time with my kids... so it's safe to say I LOVED IT!
Geeky Dad's Movie Guide
Number of times I fell asleep: 0
Number of eye rolls: 0
Number of face palms: 0
Number of times my kids asked to go to the bathroom or get food out of sheer boredom: 0
Number of times I checked steemit: 0
Number of times I said "That's ridiculous": 0 (If I did, it was followed by a hearty laugh)
Did my kids like it: Yes!
Would I see it without my kids: Yes. (But only because I am a parent who can get the inside jokes)
Full price/Matinee/Rental/Free/Not worth the time: Full price
I almost forgot, the movie started with an animated short film of a Lego Martial Arts Master fighting a... chicken!
My kids loved this. I imagine yours will too.
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No steemit checks this time? ;)
LOL.
It was only 90 minutes long. Even my attention span can handle that. It actually was fun.
I was hoping for at least 1 check of steemit ;)
Well it was the last thing I did before the movie started (during the popcorn advertisement) and the first thing I did when it ended... so does that count? LOL
I think it kinda does. lol
Great! Looks like I'll be taking kids out to see this movie.
How old are your kids? I really bet they will like it. It was really well done. Please let me know what your family thinks of it.
My kids are 9 & 13, I'll let u know how it goes. Thanks.
This definitely sounds like a very fun movie!
My youngest is 19 but my husband and I are kids so we would definitely go out of our way to rent it. LOL
I think it would be a good rental for any parent. They really do a nice job of reminding you of the early days when it was cause for celebration when your child actually fell asleep... or ate. Plus it's only 90 minutes long so its not much of a commitment.
I don't have kids (except the four legger's), but really enjoy your writing and take on life. Plus I get to read reviews about all the newer movies I love, made for us adults, but disguised as kid movies. Hard to pick a favourite, but The Incredibles is right up there. Probably a strong early imprint on my post- childhood, earlier adult-go-to-kid-movie psyche. Thanks.
Great call! I loved the Incredibles! That was such a fun superhero movie. I saw it in the theaters when I was 33... and I didn't even have kids yet. The sequel comes out in 2019... I can't wait! Thanks for the compliment by the way.
It was a classic, now I can't wait for 2019 either. I need to get out to some of the newer ones, I seem to be rather busy these days....comic relief is a necessity though. And you're very welcome, keep the good stuff coming out.
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