Once you get past the implausibility of the falsely-imprisoned father/cop encouraging his 11-y/o son to unravel and confront the murderous conspiracy that put him in jail, this movie is actually quite good. Well, there is the coincidence of the cell phone with the message in it just happening to fall into the hands of the protagonist (Nick Whitaker) and his buddies, but that one's pretty standard and necessary to make the story happen. Anyway, once things get going, the three boys really show their stuff: they're ingenious and creative without unrealistic precocity; they're loyal to and willing to take risks for each other, but not without reservations and bitching; and they act independent of and ofttimes in opposition to the skein of adult strictures. The last is always my primary test of a kid movie, i.e. whether or not the characters initiate and carry through reasonable actions and solve problems on their own -- especially in ways that draw on the special skills and abilities that children possess and adults do not. This film gets high marks in that department. I also liked that the threesome of pals represented three very different types of boys -- maybe a bit exaggerated -- and formed an engaging "three musketeers" with at least one of whom any young person watching could identify.
Review of Message in a Cell Phone
