FAMILY FILMGOER By Jane Horwitz Special to The Washington Post Friday, June 29, 2001

Also Playing Kids 6 and Older "Dr. Dolittle 2" (PG). In this very funny sequel, Dr. Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) tries to teach performing bear to live in the wild, mate with female from his endangered species and stop destruction of a woodland. Much slightly risque humor that kids will miss while entertained by animal potty jokes and general furry cuteness. Gags about neutering dogs; sexual innuendo. "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (PG). Neat-looking, fun, brainy animated adventure about museum researcher (voiced by Michael J. Fox) who goes on underwater expedition, finds lost-but-living civilization of Atlantis. Scarier, more violent than most Disney 'toons; underwater attack robots like monster lobsters; gunplay, fights, though no injuries shown; giant cyborgs awaken; volcano erupts; character chain-smokes. "Shrek" (PG). Layers of hilarity in visually rich computer-animated fractured fairy tale about bad-tempered ogre (voice of Mike Myers) who goes on mission with talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) to free spellbound princess (Cameron Diaz) and deliver her to evil lord. Comic violence; fire-breathing dragon; toilet humor; visual gags with derrieres. PG-13s "The Fast and the Furious." Vin Diesel, Paul Walker in loud, long teen flick set against illegal street racing scene in L.A. with kids souping up Japanese imports; spectacular stunts intercut with cliched love story, far-fetched crime tale. Close to R violence with drive-by shootings, other gunplay, fights; profanity; misogynistic and racial slurs; strong sexual innuendo, milder sexual situation. No preteens. "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Angelina Jolie as aristocrat-adventurer who finds mysterious artifact sought by evil secret society in dithery but handsome, entertaining adventure based on popular interactive games. Bloodless gunplay, fists, daggers; rare mild profanity; subtle sexual innuendo; hints of chaste semi-nudity. "Pearl Harbor." Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett as U.S. pilots, Kate Beckinsale as Navy nurse who loves them, Cuba Gooding Jr. as ship's cook/hero, in tacky World War II epic with intense battle effects, nonstop cliches. Largely non-graphic injuries; rare profanity; racial epithet; understated sexual situation; sailors' bare behinds; drinking. Rs "Sexy Beast." Crackerjack gangster flick about amiable former London hood, retired with wife in Spain, his quiet shattered by psychopathic ex-colleague (Ben Kingsley) who demands he rob a bank. Intense violence; strong profanity. Older high school film buffs.

"A.I. – Artificial Intelligence" (PG-13, 146 minutes)
Though often brilliant, this isn't the sort of movie to carry kids over that glowing "E.T."-style moon. This futuristic science-fiction Pinocchio tale about a child robot who longs to be human has a distancing, often creepy effect, so uncompromising is its vision, so willing is it to do more than entertain. Many teens will leave scratching their heads, though sci-fi buffs and philosophers among them will be in awe. Director Steven Spielberg inherited this project (based on a 1969 short story by Brian Aldiss) from the late Stanley Kubrick, and the movie shows a tension between his heart-tugging wonderment and Kubrick's intellectualism. The PG-13 reflects sexual innuendo, violent scenes of humanoid robots being torn apart for sport, a murdered human and themes of loss and loneliness.

Haley Joel Osment plays David, the boyish 'bot with the ability to feel human emotions. Sent to a couple whose own child is ill, David bonds with the mother (Frances O'Connor) but after their son recovers, the arrangement grows awkward and she tearfully abandons David. With an adorable teddy bear robot at his side, David braves the world, surviving cruel human exploitation. He's befriended by a suave gigolo robot (terrific Jude Law) who guides him through a sleazy honky-tonk town to a submerged (post-global-warming) Manhattan in his quest for the Blue Fairy, who can turn him into a real boy.

"crazy/beautiful" (PG-13, 95 minutes)
An unusually well-acted and serious-minded teen love story, "crazy/beautiful" should capture the sympathies of teenage girls. Along with its entertaining love story and catchy soundtrack, the movie tackles serious themes – alcoholism, drug abuse, parental loss, depression and suicide. There are muted, non-explicit sexual situations between high-schoolers, plus sexual innuendo, teens smoking marijuana, drinking and acting wasted. It's not for preteens.

Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez turn in fresh, honest performances as Nicole and Carlos, who fall in love while attending high school in Pacific Palisades. Nicole is rich and miserable; she drinks, smokes dope, cuts classes, hates her stepmother and doesn't get along with her dad. Carlos, who makes the long bus ride each day from East Los Angeles, is an A student and an athlete. Their pairing stirs familial turmoil.

"Baby Boy" (R, 129 minutes)
Filmmaker John Singleton ("Boyz N the Hood," R, 1991, "Rosewood," R, 1997) has fashioned a profane, violent, sexually explicit morality tale. The movie's raucous style may help get its message of responsibility across to the target audience – young urban African American men. Singleton may have intended his movie for high-schoolers as well as young adults, but "Baby Boy" might titillate more than teach those under 17, with its explicit sexual situations, nudity, an attempted rape in front of a young child (a particularly creepy scene), vivid profanity, racial slurs, gunplay, drug and liquor use, and an implied abortion.

Recording star Tyrese plays 20-year-old Jody, who has two kids with two women, and no job, and lives with his still-young mom (A.J. Johnson). She invites an intimidating new boyfriend (Ving Rhames) to move in and tells Jody to move out. He feels threatened and lost. He cheats on the woman he really loves – the mother of his little son – starts a "business" stealing dresses to sell on the street, and fights with thugs. He's in search of a comeuppance and he knows it, too.