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The film, which opened on Friday, was this weekend's top box-office draw. That's probably because a lot of dopey parents (like me) took their little ones too see it the day it opened. After all, my kids had been waiting for it for weeks and the Washington Post review (also dopey) said it was definitely for children because the writers had dropped the drug references the movie had once contained. (I know, I know, there was always the suggestion, even with the cartoon, that Shaggy in particular was involved in recreational pharmaceuticals. But I for one didn't figure that out until watching reruns of it in college.) Anyway, I grew up with Scooby-Doo. I wanted to see Shaggy and the gang too. But, this is not your beloved Hanna Barbera cartoon come to life. The movie is entirely cynical, which means it might be just fine for the Gen-X crowd. But Scooby-Doo was targeted to kids — "A Must See Family Film" said one Warner Brothers promotion — and the theater was filled with 5 to 8-year-olds. At the opening, the once happy mystery-solving group of handsome Fred, pretty Daphne, smart Velma, and cowardly Shaggy and Scooby are now just vain, sniping morons who break up early in the film. Between that and their successful reunion at the end, we are treated to a smorgasbord of nothing but heavy sarcasm, stupid attempts at humor, flatulence contests, breasts — including those of Pamela Anderson — and sexual innuendo. In one scene, Fred and the voluptuous Daphne change bodies (it's complicated) and Fred is pretty happy about it as he starts feeling himself up. My eight-year-old was upset that the villain turned out to be. . .well, a longtime trusted friend of the group, who puts a new profane twist on the old "and I would have gotten away with it, too, without those meddling youngsters. . ." before his words are muffled and he's stuffed into a police chopper. Now that's cynical. What's so annoying is that I can't help but compare this film to the Warner Brothers blockbuster, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone which just came out on video (which is why I just saw it for the first time.) Harry Potter is a true children's film — which means it's terrific for adults too. It's filled with wonder, fantasy, and clear lines between good and evil. Some folks don't like the witches, of course, but at least Harry and his friends are good wizards and witches. What's so terrific about this film is that the children are delightful and actually respectful of the adults in their lives. And for once, the adults in a children's film are presented as generally wise, good, and necessary to the well being of their young charges. Harry's stepparents, actually his aunt and uncle, are a pathetic if amusing exception to this rule but evil stepparents — at least evil stepmothers — are an ancient literary device. And in this case it's necessary to get Harry to leave home and go to the Wizard's academy, Hogwarts. In any event, his deceased real parents are presented as brave, good, and sacrificial on Harry's behalf. And very much loved and admired by Harry. But the best thing about Harry Potter was the relationship between the three 11-year-old children, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or rather, the lack of relationship. These kids, two boys and a girl, are friends. There is no hint whatsoever of any kind of romantic liaison between them. They are 11-year-olds and they are just kids I almost couldn't believe Hollywood made this film. Thankfully, British author J. K. Rowling maintained a great deal of control over the script. Otherwise I can't help but think there would have been some allusions, vague or otherwise, to a love triangle between the three with Hermione dressed like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys music to set the tone. Given Warner Brothers grand-slam family-film hit Harry Potter, I more than ever found myself asking. . . good ol' lovable, trusted, sweet, Scooby-Doo. . . where are you? It's a mystery. —
Betsy Hart is a nationally syndicated columnist for the Scripps Howard
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Hollywood "PG," of course, stands for "Parental Guidance"
suggested. So, here's some parental guidance. Don't take your kids to
see the new Warner Brothers Scooby-Doo movie.
