Parents Television Council Reviews

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New York Minute
By Kellie MacDonald 

Release Date: May 7, 2004

Starring: Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen
Co-starring: Andy Richter, Jared Paladecki, Riley Smith, Andrea Martin and Eugene Levy

Genre: Family Comedy (tween/teen focused)
MPAA Rating: PG for mild sensuality and thematic elements.

PTC Says: Two completely different twin sisters learn that their differences aren't as great as first imagined on a wild day in New York, where everything that could go wrong, does.  New York Minute is a PTC Seal of Approval winner and marks Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's transition from child stars to entertainment powerhouses.

The Parents Television Council is pleased to award its coveted Seal of Approval to New York Minute, starring teen media moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.  This campy fun, family-friendly flick will be in theaters everywhere this Friday, May 7.

Other than their DNA, twin sisters Jane (Ashley Olsen) and Roxy (Mary-Kate Olsen) Ryan have nothing in common.  Jane is ultra-organized and scholarly while rebellious Roxy is more interested in punk rock than homework.  After the death of their mother, Jane and Roxy have drifted apart, leaving them virtual strangers.  Despite the emotional distance that keeps them in constant conflict, the girls re-establish their friendship and learn the importance of teamwork and family as they navigate the tumultuous streets of New York City. 

Jane goes to New York to deliver a speech for a scholarship competition for Oxford University.  Roxy ditches school to go to New York with her sister in hopes of going to the filming of her favorite rock group's newest music video, and slipping the band a copy of her demo tape.  When Jane's day planner and speech are lost, the girls have to try to get it back in time for Jane to deliver her speech, all while trying to avoid black market music pirates, the city's toughest truancy officer and a female senator whose dog they've accidentally stolen.

Eugene Levy and Andy Richter co-star as Max Lomax, a tough truancy officer who'd really rather be a policeman and Bennie Bang, the adopted son of a Chinese black-market music pirate.  Both men are outrageously funny and it's a blast to see Jane and Roxy outwit their buffoon characters. 

New York Minute is rated PG for mild sensuality and thematic elements.  The girls share a montage where they try on funky outfits and perform suggestive dance moves.  Jane has a nightmare that she delivers her speech nude (her bare back and shoulders are shown) and Roxy's snake escapes its cage and joins Jane in the shower (implied nudity).  After the girls are splashed by a taxi cab, they run through New York City in a hotel robe and towel.  The film also contains several scenes of cartoonish violence which includes slow-motion kicks, punches, and slaps.

The film contains a few mild bathroom-related references, like when Jane discovers, to her horror, that the only available bathroom facilities far below her neat-nic standards.  Several scenes show people waiting for a dog to "pass" a valuable computer chip that it has swallowed; their exasperated comments are amongst the film's funniest.  Mild peril is sprinkled through this comedic adventure, like when Jane and Roxy make an unexpected trip on a window washer's gondola.  In a scene of some of the best stunt driving that I've seen in a while, Jane, Roxy and a taxi passenger drive a taxi backwards as they are pursued by a large mobile home driven by the truancy officer and two amused tourists.

New York Minute marks a successful transition for the Olsen sisters from child stars to adult actresses with content that is fun for older viewers and still appropriate for their legions of young fans.  This film is campy and fun and will be well enjoyed by the tween and teen girls who will flock to it.      

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