What's that fairly hideous Sgt. Pepper-style dingus adorning the full-page newspaper ads for "Evan Almighty," the Steve Carell sequel comedy opening tomorrow? Why, it's an "award of excellence" from the Film Advisory Board. Inc.
Okay, I'll bite: What's the Film Advisory Board? According to its website, it's a Burbank-based member-supported organization "dedicated to awarding and promoting quality family-oriented and children's entertainment in all areas, including film, video, TV, CD-Rom, books and music." It even has its own rating system, similar to the MPAA guidelines, except that no one uses them other than a few producers of direct-to-video movies.
The group clearly intends the award of excellence to honor family fare of unusually high quality in CDs, books, films, and television. Sort of like the Newbery Medal. The problem is that most of the films chosen are terrible. The extremely out-of-date list of "in theaters" awardees posted at the FAB site includes such dogs as "Radio" (Cuba Gooding Jr. playing a mentally challenged football mascot) and the painful dog-from-outer-space comedy "Good Boy." Yes, "Finding Nemo" and "Elf" are on there. So is "Johnny English" and, over on the DVD list, such bad multiplex memories as "Kangaroo Jack," "Hey Arnold! The Movie," and "Santa Clause 2."
Yikes. What kind of criteria does it take for a movie to be honored with a FAB "award of excellence" -- that it has sprocket holes? And why do the producers of "Evan Almighty" want us to know they got one?
