Guidelines to help parents evaluate new films' suitability for children

"The tale of Despereaux"

Rating: G.

What it's about: A mouse reads books of chivalry and learns to be brave and noble, and not to cower.

The kid-attractor factor: Winning animation, with mice, cats, rats and a princess in distress.

Good lessons/bad lessons: Many good ones, the biggest being "No one starts out afraid" in life.

Violence: Sword fights, a cat attack.

Language: Disney clean.

Sex: None.

Drugs: None.

Parents' advisory: The film of Kate DiCamillo's award-winning book has life lessons about tolerance, courage, honesty and common sense that most parents can get behind.

"Yes Man"

Rating: PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity.

What it's about: A glum loner's life changes when a motivational speaker orders him to "say yes" to everything.

The kid-attractor factor: Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel; slapstick; and a bit of off-color humor.

Good lessons/bad lessons: When you say "yes," you can't avoid helping others, you start taking chances and "you embrace the possible."

Violence: A bar fight with comic punches thrown.

Language: Nothing too rough.

Sex: Hospital gown nudity.

Drugs: Booze is abused, as is Red Bull.

Parents' advisory: Fairly chaste, but the life lessons and one really crude sex joke make this more appropriate for teens than preteens.

Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel

This feature is designed to help parents evaluate whether movies are suitable for their children. Not all movies addressed are recommended.