Family films | "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Music and Lyrics"

"Bridge to Terabithia"

Rating: PG for thematic elements including bullying, some peril and mild language.

What it's about: Middle-school outsiders meet and bond and build a fantasy world they can escape into, any time they want.

The kid-attractor factor: Trolls and assorted other monsters are battled, as are schoolyard bullies.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Testy parents, cranky teachers, even bullies have a human side.

Violence: Off-camera, mostly.

Language: Pretty clean.

Sex: None. They're fifth-graders.

Drugs: None.

Parents advisory: Even the traumatic stuff is handled off camera in this faithful adaptation of the classic children's novel.

"Music and Lyrics"

Rating: PG-13 for some sexual content.

What it's about: Has-been pop star Hugh Grant hooks up with dizzy "plant lady" Drew Barrymore to write a hit song for a Shakira-clone.

The kid-attractor factor: Drew Barrymore, songwriting, shimmy-shimmy-shake pop concert and music-video tidbits.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Keeping business and romance separate is easier said than done.

Violence: A little shoving match.

Language: Quite clean.

Sex: Implied.

Drugs: None.

Parents advisory: Pretty benign for a grown-up romantic comedy. But does anybody under 13 know who Hugh Grant is?

Roger Moore,

The Orlando Sentinel

The Family Films feature is designed to help parents evaluate whether movies are suitable for their children. Not all movies addressed in this feature are recommended.