Shorts

Play trailer

Shorts

PG

2009

1h 29m

Adventure

Comedy

Action

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

32%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In the little town of Black Falls, every house looks the same and almost everyone works for Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries, purveyors of a device that is sweeping the nation. Toe Johnson, 11, is unimpressed with the company and its wares; he just wants a few friends. Then, a wish-granting rock falls from the sky and changes everything. The town swarms with wishes gone amok, but the trouble really begins when adults get their hands on the rock.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Shorts has imagination and energy, but most viewers beyond elementary school will likely tire of the kiddie humor and sensory overload.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Uhlich

Time Out

11/18/2011

2/5

Whether he's doing Sin City or Spy Kids, Rodriguez always infantilizes his audience, jolting our synapses and indulging our slavering desires for goop and gore.

Go to Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

10/02/2009

3.5/5

All of these adventures call on Rodriguez's fascination with visual effects, which could be tough on his human cast, but he has the wit to keep them in focus. All up, it's good fun.

Go to Full Review

Ed Gibbs

Empire Magazine

09/01/2009

3/5

Dives straight into whiz-bang gizmoland, opting for "pause, rewind" flourishes. Cute and enjoyable family fare, then, if a little forced.

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

11/29/2020

7/10

Childish, unrealistic, and immature - in a good way.

Go to Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/23/2020

3.0/4.0

Featuring Rodriguez himself in no less than eight roles and six members of his family in the cast.

Go to Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

01/25/2014

3/4

Light, silly fun, amiably performed by both its veteran cast and exuberant young 'uns.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nicholas t

@nicktalbert2025 Oct 20

shorts bad movie just kids movie

See more

Mark M

@RT96555914 Apr 4

Was fun to watch as a kid but it's garbage when you get older

See more

XD- Darioks T

@RT48975838 03/28/2025

Change my mind, This movie is weird but I have seen worst

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone 01/11/2025

Filme bacana, o roteiro é mais ou menos, o elenco é legal, as cenas de ação são bacanas, mas o ruim do filme é que tem coisas de crianças

See more

Alexander M

@RT98151392 09/05/2024

It's been fifteen years since I watched this movie when it first came out in theaters. I was twelve. To this day, whenever someone asks about the worst movies I've ever seen, this is the first one that comes to mind. Whenever I make the unfortunate mistake of recalling this movie's existence, it brings back the pain and suffering during that fateful hour and a half of my life that I will never get back. But since this movie still haunts me, it has stolen much more of my life than just the ninety minute runtime. Save yourself while you still can.

See more

08/22/2024

how trippy this movie is a psychadellic mind trip Rodriguez has quite the expanded imagination there humor is pretty far in between the special effects are very good indeed the little kids are gonna love the hell out of this

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Robert Rodriguez

Director

Jon Cryer

Dad Thompson

William H. Macy

Dr. Noseworthy

Leslie Mann

Mom Thompson

James Spader

Mr. Black

Jimmy Bennett

Toe Thompson

Monster Trucks

32%

51%

Monster Trucks

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Monster Trucks

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D

23%

36%

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D

Watchlist

Spy Kids 3: Game Over

45%

25%

Spy Kids 3: Game Over

Watchlist

Super Capers

6%

14%

Super Capers

Watchlist

Dragonball: Evolution

14%

19%

Dragonball: Evolution

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Box Office Guru Preview: Basterds to Bump Aliens From Top Spot

Critics Consensus: Inglourious Basterds is Certified Fresh!

The Friday Harvest: This Week’s Best Pictures, Posters, and Video

View more photos

Synopsis

In the little town of Black Falls, every house looks the same and almost everyone works for Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries, purveyors of a device that is sweeping the nation. Toe Johnson, 11, is unimpressed with the company and its wares; he just wants a few friends. Then, a wish-granting rock falls from the sky and changes everything. The town swarms with wishes gone amok, but the trouble really begins when adults get their hands on the rock.

Director: Robert Rodriguez
Producer: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Mancuso Jr., Tara Pirnia, Elizabeth Avellan, Luz María Rojas
Screenwriter: Robert Rodriguez, Víctor Ugalde
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Warner Bros., Media Rights Capital, Troublemaker Studios
Rating: PG (Some Rude Humor|Mild Action)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Action, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.9M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

Most Popular at Home Now