Operation Splitsville

"Splitsville" approaches divorce with an honesty you don't find in many films about or for kids today. The dialogue between the kids is frank, and the situations a bit fantastical, as they should be in such a film, but it all plays in a very real way.

Anyone who's ever been a sixth grader in suburbia knows that this is the way kids speak about sex and divorce. Actually, this is the way kids speak about anything: they recite the bits and pieces they hear their parents say, and fill in the rest using their own imagination, often with hilarious results. When a group of kids somehow decide that sex has something to do with food, I'm reminded of my own elementary school idea of how it's done -- I'll spare you the details, but I was wrong.

The movie is fun, it has a good message, and it doesn't present it in a "mommy and daddy still love each other but..." kind of way. Instead, it presents the situation, allows the characters to form their natural plan of action, and discover the reality of their situation on their own.

I recommend it.

This movie was damned near unwatchable, but I labored through it just so I could bash it w/a clear conscious. The movie basically shows you how "funny" divorce is. Woo hoo thats a knee slapper. It also shows fifth graders displaying the sexual aptitudes of late-teens. Calling their classmates "hotties" and explaining sex as a seed that comes out of your nuts. They said it, not me. Kids say the darndest things don't they?

My seven year old found some parts of this movie funny. I really didn't. But what could one expect with a premise of kids trying to get their parents to split up in order to join the gloomy neighborhood club for kids of divorce? Pretty silly. There is absolutely no appeal here for anyone over the age of 12. Was also distracting to hear actor Aidan Quinn's voice coming out of lead actors face.

There are two stories told in this film. One of divorce shown through the eyes of children, and a second of finding a place to belong when parents are splitting up and a sense of having a home disappears.

The anxieties and guilt felt by adults during a divorce aren't that much different than what kids feel. To some degree, kids feel more guilty during that process because they don't know as many details as their parents and thus assume everything is their fault, and this film addresses that. From my perspective as a child of divorce, I think the importance of being honest with kids about what's happening is relayed well in this film, even though the kids take that information and turn it into a 'war' with their peers.

The 'divorced kids' club showcases the universal needs for acceptance and a sense of belonging. I definitely could have used a club like that during my parents' divorce. Kids today have a lot more resources to find support groups than I did in 2000. Is it any easier to have your parents split up? No. But the support kids need is easier to find.

Overall, I think the story was well-executed and I relate to it very deeply, especially being the same age as the kids in the film.

Let me start off by saying this is a truly awful film. If only they'd give that budget and crew to some of us desperate filmmakers out there who would have given something back 100 times better.

Some kids do talk about sex, yes even at that age. But there's no way they talk about it like they do in this film... Their conversation was way too mature (and crass) for their age group. Then again, maybe there was something in the water... At least that's where I thought it was going.

My biggest question is... What the hell was Christopher Lambert doing in this film? I think he needs to change his agent if he's being sent scripts of this caliber.

Some of it wasn't bad. You almost got the feeling it was a first time director and he was starting to get the cuts right toward the end (because much of it didn't gel together well at all because they didn't get enough/suitable coverage).

So what are the good points? I thought the lead kid who played James (David Berry) had the most talented performance (Too bad he hasn't done anything since). Jesse Littlejohn wasn't bad either. Most of the kids were like something out of The Little Rascals. The film quality is Hollywood (think they filmed it on Panavision). The soundtrack isn't bad, but feels somewhat dated for a film that was shot in the late 90s.

Strangely, I found it mildly entertaining... It is watchable, but some of it will make you cringe.