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"CRY WOLF" (2005) (Julian Morris, Lindy Booth) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Heavy Extreme *Heavy Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Extreme *Minor Moderate Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Mild Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Thriller: After spreading an elaborate and prefabricated lie about a nearby murder, various students at a private high school academy must figure out whether threats, disappearances and more are just pranks on the parts of others or is the work of a true serial killer who's now copying the details of their ruse in a murderous fashion. PLOT: At the elite Westlake Preparatory Academy, one of the favorite pastimes among the high school students is playing a game of wolf and sheep where the participants must discern who's lying and who's the mark. And transfer student Owen Matthews (JULIAN MORRIS) quickly proves he's rather good at it, impressing game instigator and ringleader Dodger (LINDY BOOTH). Bored with things, she decides they should up the ante and get the whole school involved, spreading a fabricated rumor about a recent, nearby murder and stating that the killer is on their campus. She and Owen, whose father (GARY COLE) never takes his calls after pulling strings to get him enrolled at Westlake following problems elsewhere, then expand the ruse, stating how the killer will dispatch his next victims. With the click of a mouse, his email message then circulates around the school, drawing the attention of journalism teacher Rich Walker (JON BON JOVI) who intends to educate Owen about the ramifications of spreading such rumors. Along with roommate Tom (JARED PADALECKI) and other participants including Randall (JESSE JANZEN), Lewis (PAUL JAMES), Mercedes (SANDRA McCOY), Graham (ETHAN COHN) and Regina (KRISTY WU), Owen and Dodger then watch as everyone reacts to the story. Yet, when Owen starts receiving threatening instant messages, one of the group goes missing and others have close calls with a masked figure, they must decide whether all of that is just pranks among the group or whether it's actually the work of a serial killer who's now copying the details of their ruse with deadly intentions. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into horror/suspense films, they might, but this one just doesn't have a lot of buzz around it to become a big draw. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For violence, terror, disturbing images, language, sexuality and a brief drug reference. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JULIAN MORRIS plays a transfer student with a troubled past and an indifferent father who joins Dodger in conceiving their latest ruse of lies and ends up falling for her, only to then have to deal with the killer. LINDY BOOTH plays a mischievous student who enjoys playing their liar games and is having a fling with Mr. Walker, her teacher. JON BON JOVI plays their journalism teacher who tries to inform Owen about the repercussions of their act, all while carrying on a fling with Dodger, his student. JARED PADALECKI plays Owen's occasionally testy roommate who must also figure out what's really going on. JESSE JANZEN plays their friend who comments on sexual activity with his girlfriend at another school and is heavily pierced. PAUL JAMES plays another student who seems to have a sexual history with a classmate played by SANDRA McCOY. KRISTY WU plays a classmate who's good at special effects type make-up. ETHAN COHN plays another student involved in the lying games. GARY COLE plays Owen's father who never takes his calls and seems indifferent and/or cold about him. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this suspense/thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are used. Sexually related dialogue is present, as is the beginning of a phone sex conversation between a guy and a girl in her skimpy undies. A female student admits to sleeping with her male teacher, while two female students are discovered together in a closet (although nothing is seen at that moment). Other women are briefly seen in their bras when they flash them to others in a game they play (with one apparently flashing her breasts to others -- her back is to the camera) and one is seen in a small bikini. Violence consists of two people being shot to death, while other slasher type violence (shot and edited to maintain a PG-13 rating, although blood and gore are present) is seen, but we later learn that much of it has been faked. Even so, as it occurs, those scenes and other moments of peril and "look out" moments may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Various characters have bad attitudes, some of the actions may be enticing for some kids to imitate, while some brief drinking may occur, a brief drug comment is made and a father habitually ignores his son's telephone calls. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's shaky handheld camerawork in various scenes. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Some students drink what looks like beer in one scene. Owen states that he was charged with possession (presumably meaning drugs) at his former school, but that they belonged to the girl he liked there. BLOOD/GORE Viewers should note that not everything that we see on the screen actually turns out to be real (meaning some things are faked but they appear real as they occur until later revealed otherwise). As Tom shakes Owen's hand upon first meeting him, Tom jokes, "I just wiped my ass." Later, when Tom puts his hand over Owen's mouth while waking him up, Owen says he hopes that hand is clean. We see a quick view of a dead hand in the woods that's sticking up and missing several fingers (with bloody stumps). We see various quick and heavily edited, imagined/represented shots of killings the students make up as part of their ruse, and they include some quick views of the students being attacked, stabbed, etc. with some bloody results on them and their surroundings. This includes a view of Owen with a bloody bullet hole wound in the front of his shirt. Owen and Tom find a bloody piercing stud (like a mini barbell that goes through the skin) on their computer, but Tom thinks it's a practical joke and that that blood is fake (he tastes it, but then reacts adversely to that). Regina has a faked but bloody head wound with a trickle of blood down her face as part of her Halloween party getup. Owen gets into a car, but then realizes the steering wheel has blood on it. Someone points out some blood on Regina's forehead that she then figures came from some clothing she's holding. She and others then follow a trail of blood on the floor to a confessional where they see a bloody and presumably dead friend. We see some blood on Lewis' hands. Owen sees a trail of smeared blood on the floor. We see a bloodstain on a person's shirt (from a distance) after they've been shot. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The killer obviously has a bad attitude. Various students pull pranks on other students, some of them being quite elaborate and some faking murder and such. Owen's father repeatedly ignores calls from his son, not wanting to talk to him (although Owen doesn't appear to recognize that fact since he only gets his father's voice mail). Owen later says his dad sent him there to get rid of him. Tom gets Owen to sneak out with him (against the rules) to attend a secret game that others who have snuck out are going to play. A guy comments to another, "Do you know how gay that sounds?" (about something non-homosexual related). A student uses the phrase "That's the most retarded thing I've ever heard." Owen discovers that Tom turned off his alarm clock, thus making him late for class. Various students have playful if somewhat mean-spirited put-downs for their classmates. Randall refers to one of the girls as a "dyke." Dodger, Owen and the others conspire to make up a rumor about the killer to get their jollies by having the rest of their classmates not realize they're part of their lying game. Dodger somewhat looks down on her classmates (at least in terms of their ideas for their ruse), saying it's like they're playing checkers and she's playing chess. Owen sees Dodger and Mr. Walker kissing in his office late at night (he's her teacher). Owen blackmails Mr. Walker with knowledge of his affair with Dodger (to keep the teacher from turning him in for possessing a knife that somebody else planted in his backpack). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Others may only find some or none of that or the following that way. Viewers should note that not everything that we see on the screen actually turns out to be real (meaning some things are faked but they appear real as they occur until later revealed otherwise). We see a scared woman running through the woods at night, being pursued by a person with a flashlight. The woman tries to get away, but can't, and thus decides to hide in a shadowy section. The killer, however, pulls up her name on a cell phone and calls her, thus making her phone ring and giving away her location. The pursuer then pulls out a gun and shoots the woman dead (we don't see the impact). We see various quick and heavily edited, imagined/represented shots of killings the students make up as part of their ruse, and they include some quick views of the students being attacked, stabbed, etc. with some bloody results on them and their surroundings. This includes a view of Owen with a bloody bullet hole wound in the front of his shirt. We see that the killer has seen Owen's email ruse and then pockets a handgun. Owen gets various instant messages, some of them threatening, from a person claiming they're the "wolf" (killer). As Dodger swims in the school pool by herself at night, two things suddenly land and splash in the water (seen and heard from below the surface). More of that occurs and she seems scared, but we then see that it's Owen and Tom throwing big chunks of ice into the pool to scare her. Owen then heaves another without looking and then thinks he might have hit Dodger as she sinks below the surface where she's motionless. Owen then dives in and he and Tom get her out (but she's just faking it to get back at them). Owen returns to his dorm room to find the place trashed. The light suddenly comes on and Tom is there, mad at Owen (he thinks he trashed the place since only Tom's belongings were affected). Owen and Dodger almost kiss, but a book drops from the library bookshelf and a figure darts by from one stack to another. Knowing that the overhead lights are activated by motion, they think the person is standing still in one area, but when they go there, no one is present. They then see lights come on several rows away that then start coming toward them. They decide to stand still to let their light go out above them as the lights draw closer and they await the arrival of the unknown person (but it turns out just to be the librarian). A large knife drops out of Owen's backpack in Mr. Walker's class, and he picks it up, causing other students to panic and Mr. Walker to grab his arm to disarm him (the knife was placed there as a joke or to get him in trouble). While cleaning a classroom at night, Owen hears a sound coming from a closet and goes to investigate, but it turns out to be two girls in Halloween costumes (one that shows cleavage), presumably fooling around in some sort of lesbian fashion. The killer swings a knife at Owen who avoids the swipe and then tries to flee, with the killer slipping and falling. Owen then manages to get the killer outside the classroom, but must then reach out to grab the door so that he can lock the killer outside. But the killer sees him and grabs the door, with the two then pulling on each side of it until Owen finally wins, closing and locking the door. Owen gets into a car, but then realizes the steering wheel has blood on it. We then see a figure move in the backseat and the killer grabs Owen from back there, holding a large knife to him. He manages to get out and runs, with the killer pursuing him. Owen flags down a cop who then pulls and aims his gun at the killer (who turns out to be a student in a costume with a rubber knife). Lewis wants Mercedes to take a picture on her cell phone of herself and send it to him. She does, but when he gets it, he sees the killer standing behind her. Mercedes then sees the killer standing behind her with a knife in the girls bathroom, but thinks it's one of her friends until Lewis (on the phone with her) says that person is there with him. She screams and Lewis hears that on the phone as we see a stylized and heavily edited view of the killer attacking her. Someone points out some blood on Regina's forehead that she then figures came from some clothing she's holding. She and others then follow a trail of blood on the floor to a confessional where they see a bloody and presumably dead friend. We see some blood on Lewis' hands, and then the killer attacking him from behind (viewed from below him in a several story stairwell). Owen races around to various floors and rooms, trying to figure out what's going on, attempting to save others and hoping to avoid the killer who may be lurking nearby. Owen spots the killer behind a girl and tells her to run. She does, but encounters a locked door as the killer catches up to her. She punches the killer in the face, but we then see the motion of him repeatedly stabbing at her (we don't see any impact). Owen then sees her motionless legs down below him. Owen finds a gun and then holds it on an adult who slowly enters the room holding some of the killer's costume. Owen thinks this adult is the killer, but the man grabs Owen and they struggle over the gun with the sound of it then going off. We see a flashback to the imagined shot of Owen having been shot, but then see (back in real time) that it was the adult who then falls over to the floor dead. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Knives: Carried and/or used to threaten or kill others (sometimes for real, sometimes faked). See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Seal the deal" (have sex), "I hate to be the bitch here," "Chump," "Doesn't mean you have to be his bitch," "Kiss my ass," "Suck," "You know how gay that sounds?" "What a whore," "That's the most retarded thing I've ever heard," "Pissed," "You got screwed" (nonsexual), "Jackass," "Dyke," "Lie your ass off," "Town slut," "Bringing the bitch out" (a comment on using one's queen in chess), "How the hell did he get over there?" "Chill, buddy," "Dude," "Where the hell is he?" "Scared the crap out of me," "Do you ever shut up?" and "Probably just screwing with you." Various students pull pranks on other students, some of them being quite elaborate and some faking murder and such. As Tom shakes Owen's hand upon first meeting him, Tom jokes, "I just wiped my ass." Later, when Tom puts his hand over Owen's mouth while waking him up, Owen says he hopes that hand is clean. Randall has multiple face piercings as well as a pierced tongue. We briefly see quick shots of the various girls in their bras (in a montage) as they lift their shirts to prove they're not the marked one (with a hand-drawn mark on their chest) in a game they've made up. Owen discovers that Tom turned off his alarm clock, thus making him late for class. A person gives "the finger" to another person. Randall gives "the finger" to Owen. Various students have playful if somewhat mean-spirited put-downs for their classmates. JUMP SCENES A person suddenly puts their hand over Owen's mouth as he sleeps. Tom suddenly comes in the room. A masked figure suddenly shows up outside a window at night. A figure passes by in the foreground of a shot. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song may have a lyric about "sleep with you," while others had lyrics that we couldn't hear or understand, thus offering the possibility of them potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 1 "s" word, 6 slang terms for sex ("screwing"), 3 hells, 2 asses, 1 crap, 3 uses of "Jesus," 2 of "Oh my God" and 1 use of "Swear to God." SEX/NUDITY About an assembly she's skipping, Dodger says it's about personal safety and specifically some townie who "was screwing the wrong guy" (and was killed). One guy jokes to Lewis that the only thing the girl who's seated on his lap "blows is her hair." A person jokes that a guy's buddy list reads like a sex offender registry. Dodger somewhat sensuously draws a mark on Owen's chest as part of a nonsexual game they're playing with their classmates. We briefly see quick shots of the various girls in their bras (in a montage) as they lift their shirts to prove they're not the marked one (with a hand-drawn mark on their chest) in a game they've made up. During this, one girl opens her top apparently showing the others her bare breasts (we only see her back). She then tells one of the guys that he "Could have gotten lucky...instead you got screwed" (meaning he lost). When Randall says he has plans (with his girlfriend at another school), one of the girls mockingly says "You mean herpes, right?" Tom then tells him not to spend all of his time in the backseat of his car, with Randall saying he was thinking of doing it in the woods, up against a tree (meaning sex). Dodger and the other girls wear standard-issue, but still short (and somewhat sexily portrayed) class skirts. When Owen says their fictional villain character should use a knife as a weapon, Dodger says she likes the phallic imagery of that. We see an imagined view of Mercedes in the girls bathroom wearing a tank top and small panties or "boy shorts." One of the girls says she doesn't want to get caught in the boy's dorm (while in it), with Tom joking about that and the time they "hooked up." She sarcastically asks if by "hooked up" he means stealing her panties. We see Dodger swimming in the school pool wearing a small bikini. There are various shots of her in the water and then out when Owen and Tom pull her out, thinking she's hurt (she's not and then walks away in the bikini that shows cleavage and the shape of her nipples under the material). Owen and Dodger almost kiss. After the person they think is after them turns out to be the librarian who finds them in the dark, she tells them to go to the German philosophy section as no one will bother them there (thinking they're making out, etc.). Commenting on Owen thinking Randall left his tongue stud on his computer as a practical joke, Dodger doubts it, saying that he wouldn't leave his bragging rights (regarding his girlfriend at another school - meaning a possible oral sex reference) but then adds "Like he could actually seal the deal" (presumably meaning have sex with that girl). Owen sees Dodger and Mr. Walker kissing in his office late at night. About attending a Halloween party, Dodger (who's wearing a small, halter-top like costume top that shows her bare midriff) playfully tells Owen that if he attends and is lucky, they'll get to go over the hill and through the woods (presumably a sexual comment). While cleaning a classroom at night, Owen hears a sound coming from a closet and goes to investigate, but it turns out to be two girls in Halloween costumes (one that shows cleavage), presumably fooling around in some sort of lesbian fashion. Confronting Dodger about her fling with Mr. Walker, Owen says "You're the one screwing a teacher." She then says she was, but that it's now over. Owen doesn't think that's true, but she says that Mr. Walker tried a lot more before she pushed him away (and we see a flashback of her doing that as they stand). A comment is made about some guy probably needing to buy some condoms. We see Mercedes enter the girls bathroom wearing a tank top and small panties or boy shorts as she talks on the phone with Lewis (we see several views of her dressed this way). It then starts to turn into something of a phone sex conversation, with him suggestively asking if she's getting into the shower. She says she is (although she's not) and that she's in her pajamas (the tank top and small panties). He asks which ones and she coyly says she's wearing his favorites. He then wants her to take a picture on her cell phone and send it to him. She does, but when he gets it, he sees the killer standing behind her. Owen confronts Mr. Walker about another girl and asks if he was "screwing her too." We see photos of a young woman in her bra (found in Mr. Walker's desk). The sexual term "screwing" is used several more times as is the phrase "sleeping with someone else." SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Owen's father repeatedly ignores calls from his son, not wanting to talk to him (although Owen doesn't appear to recognize that fact since he only gets his father's voice mail). Owen later says his dad sent him there to get rid of him. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Owen's father repeatedly ignores calls from his son, not wanting to talk to him. Owen later says his dad sent him there to get rid of him. Rumors, lies and ruses and how they can spread and get out of control. Owen's comment that "This is high school...nothing is real." Dodger being embarrassed to admit that she's a local girl and not some upper crust family member. Owen sees Dodger and Mr. Walker kissing in his office late at night (he's her teacher). The question of when does a lie become the truth. VIOLENCE Viewers should note that not everything that we see on the screen actually turns out to be real (meaning some things are faked but they appear real as they occur until later revealed otherwise). We see a scared woman running through the woods at night, being pursued by a person with a flashlight. The woman tries to get away, but can't, and thus decides to hide in a shadowy section. The killer, however, pulls up her name on a cell phone and calls her, thus making her phone ring and giving away her location. The pursuer then pulls out a gun and shoots the woman dead (we don't see the impact). We see various quick and heavily edited, imagined/represented shots of killings the students make up as part of their ruse, and they include some quick views of the students being attacked, stabbed, etc. with some bloody results on them and their surroundings. This includes a view of Owen with a bloody bullet hole wound in the front of his shirt. The killer swings a knife at Owen who avoids the swipe and then tries to flee, with the killer slipping and falling. Owen gets into a car, but then realizes the steering wheel has blood on it. We then see a figure move in the backseat and the killer grabs Owen from back there, holding a large knife to him. He manages to get out and runs, with the killer pursuing him. Owen flags down a cop who then pulls and aims his gun at the killer (who turns out to be a student in a costume with a rubber knife). We see a stylized and heavily edited view of the killer attacking a female student. We see some blood on Lewis' hands, and then the killer attacking him from behind (viewed from below him in a several story stairwell). Owen breaks a window in a door to get inside a building. Owen spots the killer behind a girl and tells her to run. She does, but encounters a locked door as the killer catches up to her. She punches the killer in the face, but we then see the motion of him repeatedly stabbing at her (we don't see any impact). Owen then sees her motionless legs down below him. Owen finds a gun and then holds it on an adult who slowly enters the room holding some of the killer's costume. Owen thinks this adult is the killer, but the man grabs Owen and they struggle over the gun with the sound of it then going off. We see a flashback to the imagined shot of Owen having been shot, but then see (back in real time) that it was the adult who then falls over to the floor dead. Reviewed September 16, 2005 / Posted September 16, 2005

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