MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE

If your family enjoys animal comedies, MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE is a very winsome choice. The familiar formula, silly antics, hockey action, and “monkeying around” are balanced by a gentle moral spirit and a genuinely likeable central character.

The film’s main weakness is also easy to discuss. Jack is portrayed so much like a person that children may need reminding that animals are not simply little people with hair. The movie also presents a subtle case against animal research, even though the content review notes that such research saves millions of human lives.

This is a warm, accessible film for children and parents who want good fun with a few ideas to clarify afterward. For an all-ages family movie, MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE is worth the trip.

Jack is an intelligent chimpanzee with remarkable talents and a wry sense of humor. When he is sent away from the university where he has been studied, he misses his stop and ends up in the frozen Canadian town of Nelson.

There he meets Tara West and her hockey-playing brother Steven, a Californian trying to help an unlikely local team. Jack soon brings his unusual skills to the ice, inspiring the players and changing the team’s fortunes.

Three stars means a good, enjoyable film with a few minor flaws. MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE is very likeable and cute, following in the tradition of GORDY, BABE, AIR BUD, and other animal comedies.

The plot is familiar, and some of the over-the-top moments may nearly invite a groan. Yet the movie repeatedly wins viewers back with its charm. Its good moral principles, slapstick fun, and ability to make audiences laugh and cry give it broad appeal.

MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE presents a strong moral worldview, including one reference to having faith. Its story values compassion, loyalty, perseverance, teamwork, and giving an unlikely group a chance. Jack’s intelligence and emotional life are central to the film’s appeal.

The film also gives animals distinctly human qualities. Parents should explain that, while animals are valuable creations, God made each species according to its own kind. The movie avoids evolutionary double speak, but its anthropomorphic treatment of Jack can still blur the difference between human beings and animals.

The story makes a very subtle case against animal research. That idea should be discussed carefully, especially because the content review notes that animal research actually saves millions of human lives. The film’s compassion is worthwhile, but compassion must be joined to truth and wise judgment.

Scripture says, “And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds” (Genesis 1:25). That truth allows families to enjoy Jack’s antics while remembering that every part of creation has its proper place.

MVP: MOST VALUABLE PRIMATE is familiar, silly, cute, and full of good fun. Its minor concerns give parents useful opportunities for conversation, while its warmth makes it easy for children to love. For family movie night, this one is WORTH THE TRIP.