Three preteen boys find themselves playing cat-and-mouse with a group of gangsters in this lightweight thriller for the family. It's a hot summer day, and three kids (Nick Whitaker, James Laub, and Robbi Merrill) are having fun at a hotel swimming pool when they hear the ring of a cellular phone. No one is picking it up, so one of the boys decides to answer it. The voice on the other end says he's a guest at the hotel who left his phone by the pool, and he'll give the boy five dollars to bring it to his room. The boy arrives at the room and before he can knock on the door, he hears a gunshot from inside the suite and runs away. The boy and his pals soon discover that there's an incriminating message stored inside the cell phone's voice mail system, and that a number of ne'er-do-wells will stop at anything to get it. The boys then set out to crack the code while trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review by All Movie Guide
All Movie Guide
is neutral about it.
This bright, breezy family film will appeal immensely to its target demographic of 11-year-olds and it has enough humble charm to keep the grown-ups watching as well. There are a few very clever scenes that recall the pranks of
Stand By Me, and there are elements of
Home Alone, particularly during Chase's confrontations with the villains. Not that this low-budget offering is nearly as good as those films -- although a different, livelier musical soundtrack may have added to the quality considerably -- but Message in a Cell Phone could ring a few bells among the target audience. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide