User Score
3.0 out of 10

Generally unfavorable- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 17
  2. Negative: 9 out of 17

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  1. RickA
    Sep 15, 2009
    5
    This was one of those that was just o k. I did not like or dislike this movie. Worth the money is a question only you can answer after seeing this one.
    • 3 of 4 users said yes
  2. BridgetA
    Sep 8, 2009
    0
    This film was, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, the worst film I have ever seen in my point. It was puerile, pointless and a cynical bid to make some easy last minute cash at the end of the summer. It had no redeeming features whatsoever. Even my 6 year old thought it was pointless and stupid. Absolute rubbish.
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. ChadS.
    Aug 23, 2009
    4
    "Shorts" might be headache-inducing, but that's only if you're old enough to have seen "The Goonies"(the Richard Donner-directed film which had some film critics reaching for the Tylenol, or revolver) in its original theatrical run, because more likely than not, moppets and sprouts are going to love the Booger Monster like how the ogre-like creature from the 1985 Steven Spielberg-produced summer blockbuster kept the analog generation in thrall. Presented as a series of linked stories, needless to say, "Shorts" has no aspirations to be literary(like Ernest Hemingway's short story collection, also linked, "In Our Time"), but that doesn't mean this CGI-laden film is completely devoid of sophistication. In the prologue, a bully picks up a rainbow colored stone, then hurls it at Toe Thompson(Jimmy Bennett), who promptly falls from a tree. The multi-hued piece of mineral matter just happened to be lying there, without explanation. Also in the prologue, Toe's friend Loogie(Trevor Gagnon) has a relentless supply of objects(which are identified as chocolate bars in another story) pouring out from both pockets; again, at that juncture, without any justifying cause. By some fluke, the unofficial prologue of "Shorts" shares with Ernest Hemingway's first short story collection, a stylistic decision to present its narrative without exposition. Although not for one second is this tiresome film the least bit engrossing, as family entertainments go, however, "Shorts" differs in that the story unravels non-linearly, which may provide young moviegoers with the dexterity to enjoy sequentially-challenged films such as Christopher Nolan's "Memento" and Jill Sprecher's "13 Conversations About One Thing", when they grow up. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. MR
    Sep 8, 2009
    1
    If any bona fide film "critic" gave this film a favorable review, he/she is clearly being paid to do so by the studio. This movie is downright awful.
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  5. ShawnP
    Aug 24, 2009
    2
    Random and pointless.
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  6. ScottG.
    Aug 24, 2009
    4
    Even the kids got bored at some points.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. Dec 20, 2010
    0
    not worth seeing . so a magic rock , big deal . if i could rewind time i would not see it . everybody was booing . i understand . it is like unwashed ripped shorts !
  8. May 26, 2012
    6
    The shorts out of order thing is obviously a weird gimmick to attempt to make it seem cooler. It does get a little out of hand, but my family found it to be pretty fun to watch
  9. Nov 10, 2011
    5
    All that I could say is that it was just OK because the story was OK, the acting was OK and the whole rest of the movie was just OK. There was nothing GREAT about this movie and there was not anything BAD.
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 22
  2. Negative: 2 out of 22
  1. Adult actors pretty much let the youngsters upstage them. The two leads, Bennett and Vanier, do a nice job holding the center of gravity while the film goes nuts around them. Best of all, Shorts is short, finishing before you can truly get tired of all those wishes gone wrong.
  2. Reviewed by: Justin Chang
    80
    More zippy, diverting fun from Robert Rodriguez's family filmmaking factory.
  3. Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    60
    A cute and mildly clever fantasy.