Sky High (2005)

Harmless, silly family comedy about a superhero school suffers in its temporal proximity to The Incredibles but is certainly amiable enough. In fact, its opening act has so many oddball jokes and asides that it looks, for a while, like some cult classic in the making, the way the stunningly bizarre Disney Channel TV show "Even Stevens" no doubt will be in about ten years after Shia LaBeouf finally blows up large. But then the plot kicks in, and the film rolls downhill with its hurt feelings and its sitcom contrivances and its life lessons learned. Still has enough eyebrow-raising moments and offbeat casting to warrant a viewing on a slow night (shove it in the queue next to Stuart Little 2), and it's probably the only place outside of The Evil Dead where you're gonna see somebody attacked by trees. Possible best joke: The struggle with the car seats. Point of interest: Kurt Russell got his start playing super-powered teenagers in agreeably chintzy Disney comedies, and now he's come full circle -- he's played the super-powered dad of a super-powered teenager in an agreeably chintzy Disney comedy.

Grade: C+