There’s no place like home on “Nowhere (I Miss My Family).” Twelve-year-old Nat Wolff writes from his heart which, when it’s not aflutter over girls (the benign “Beautiful Eyes,” “Crazy Car” and “Girl of My Dreams”), belongs to “L.A.” landmarks such as Universal Studios, Staples Center, Studio City and In-N-Out Burger. It doesn’t get any deeper than that, unless you count observing the form and function of a “Taxi Cab” or a “Banana Smoothie.” His little brother, Alex, frees his mind on “I Could Be,” imagining his potential. Unfortunately …
Dreams include being “a rapper, for example, Jay-Z.” Similarly, “Alien Clones” gives nods to the horror films The Grudge and Child’s Play (wishing the killer doll Chucky would feed Nat spiders and snakes). On “Fishing for Love,” Nat is infatuated with “a pretty girl” who “wears little T-shirts that go up to her belly.” A questionable gun metaphor mars “Long Distance.”
Silliness? Fine. Puppy love? No problem. But this pre-teen bubblegum gets sticky with references inappropriate for its young target audience.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
