Rise of Skywalker, Dolittle, Like a Boss, Cats, Playmobil in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 12/03/19 at 11:57 PM CT

It's one of the most exciting updates the MPAA Ratings Board has delivered in a long time. From creepy Cats to the culmination of the world's greatest sci-fi sage - there's a lot going on. Robert Downey, Jr. flexes his post-Iron Man legs by taking on a classic character, we have dueling female leads about running a beauty company and an animated take on a classic building block toy line (no not THAT one again). There's a lot to dig in here, so let's get to it, shall we?

MPAA Official Logo

While I realize I'm not as big a Star Wars fan as I was back in the day, I still ordered my tickets in advance for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The epic conclusion to George Lucas' sci-fi saga is less than a month away. While a lot of people felt burned by Rian Johnson's The Force Awakens (while it wasn't perfect by any means, it didn't deserve much of the hate it received), J.J. Abrams is back in the director's chair to somehow wrap up over 40 years of Jedi, Wookies, Droids, Starships, The Force and everything else that makes this series resonate with so many people. From the trailers, my goosebumps have yet to fade - Lando's back, C-3PO says goodbye, epic lightsaber battles, the Knights of Ren and... Palpatine?! Aside from said trailers, I've avoided any news - much like I did with the last film - so I'm hoping I can hold out and experience this blind. I want to take it all in - and probably watch it a few more times in the theaters for good measure. While The Mandolorian (and an upcoming Kenobi series) look to continue the Star Wars name - this may be the last theatrical release we get in quite awhile after Disney failed to meet expectations with Solo. That doesn't bother me too much - I would rather have quality instead of movies that are churned out just because Star Wars. Take some time, craft something that will truly live up to the Star Wars name, and come back in a few years. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy the end of the Skywalker saga and relish every moment. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action.

While special effects have come a long way, and truly generated some wondrous moments (see Star Wars above), sometimes I have to question if this technology is truly being used for good. Case in point, Tom Hooper's Cats. This musical has some heavy hitters associated with it: Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, James Corden, Ray Winstone, Jason Derulo, Francesca Hayward and Mette Towley to name a few. It's also the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history - and Andrew Lloyd Webber even wrote new songs specifically for this version. And yet - that trailer - it is just unnerving. I don't care if they have tweaked the special effects, nothing can make me forget that first look and the frankly weird human/cat CGI hybrid effect that might excite a certain segment of people - but for most I think it will just make them uncomfortable. The plot concerns a tribe of cats that call themselves Jellicles who have a yearly event where one member of the tribe is elevated to the Heavenside Layer and returns to a new Jellicle life. In fact, Webber developed the stage play based on T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - with much of the lyrics taken directly from the author's work. Essentially the non-standard production is short on narrative and high on song and dance - Old Deuteronomy (Dench) selecting which Jellicle will ascend to the Heavenside Layer and most of the show introducing the various Cats - including the likes of Jennyanydots (Wilson), the elderly Grizabella (Hudson), the fickle Rum Tum Tugger (Derulo), the elite Bustopher Jones (Corden) and the mischievous Bombalurina (Swift). It's unknown exactly how the film version with flesh things out - but based on the look of the film alone, it should draw in the curious and the depraved alike. Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor.

Hey, hey, Cats isn't the only movie about talking animals we have this time around. Robert Downey, Jr., having stepped down from his Iron Man role (though I'm sure he'll show up in some form in the MCU again), takes on his next big role for Dolittle. This is based on the classic character first introduced in 1920 by Hugh Lofting that follows a doctor who would much rather treat animals than humans - who finds he can communicate with said animals. And what animal friends he has! The MCU is a family - and Tom Holland (aka Spider-Man) is joining this party as Jip (canine) with other voices being provided by the likes of Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, Marion Cotillard, Selena Gomez, Ralph Fiennes, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer and Craig Robinson. Fellow actual human characters include Michael Sheen, Antonio Banderas, Jessie Buckley and Jim Broadbent. I mean, that is some impressive casting right there, and obviously Universal is betting big those names will draw in an audience. That last time Doctor Dolittle graced the screen, Eddie Murphy played the good doctor (all the way back in 1998) and the film did pretty darn good - $144 million stateside with nearly $300 million worldwide - and in 1998 numbers that's a big win. Based on inflation, this version would have to break $225 million to equal the results. Even with all the big names, I still find that a tall order, but if this can bring in families - and appeal to adults as much as their children - I don't see why this won't be mighty popular. Rated PG for some action, rude humor and brief
language.

If you like to see women in power - and sometimes abusing said power (in humorous - not dramatic ways) - then director Miguel Arteta has got your back in Like a Boss. The film follows Mel (Tiffany Haddish) and Mia (Rose Byrne) who own - you guessed it - Mel & Mia's - a beauty company. But the two women have a very different outlook on said business, with one going the practical route, while the other wants to live a more lavish lifestyle (I will let you decide which is which... but you only get one guess). When cosmetics mogul Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) swoops in to take a controlling share in the business, things get real. That's a lot of girl power right there - but that's not it - Jessica St. Clair, Jennifer Coolidge and Ari Graynor also star with Billy Porter, Jimmy O. Yang and Karan Soni helping round out the cast. This is obviously going after a female audience, and we'll see if this combination of talent has what it takes to bring around the target group. Depending on the competition, it could turn out, if not great - at least well enough. Rated R for language, crude sexual material and drug use.

Basing movies on popular toy lines is nothing new: LEGO, Trolls, Transformers - you've got it all. So I have bad news for Playmobil, they missed the boat. Comparing this to The LEGO Movie (and the sequel/spinoffs) is too easy - it's obvious someone wanted to cash in on the whole animated toy line thing while the iron was hot - but that iron has already cooled, as seen by the disappointing returns for The LEGO Movie 2. With a less-known IP, not even the talents of Daniel Radcliffe, Anya Taylor-Joy, Gabriel Bateman, Jim Gaffigan, Meghan Trainor, Adam Lambert and Kenan Thompson are going to make this stand out. Most reviews paint this as a very generic animated film - perfectly competent, but absolutley nothing that makes it stand out in the crowd. This is going to get crushed by Frozen II - and probably most of the other competition - and will be lucky to find a place in the top five when it opens. Rated PG for action/peril and some language.

And that concludes all the major films getting their ratings due. For a summary of what you just read - check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:

CATS

Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor.


DOLITTLE

Rated PG for some action, rude humor and brief language.


FIRST LADY

Rated PG for some thematic elements.


LIKE A BOSS

Rated R for language, crude sexual material, and drug use.


PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE

Rated PG for action/peril and some language.


STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action.

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