Operation Splitsville (1998) User Reviews (10)

These kids sure know a lot about sex for fifth graders

[mayobrown-1 · 4/10 · 31 August 2003]

Splitsville used to come on t.v. all the time and interested me because the movie was rated PG-13.The film is kind of childish and corny because the plot to the movie is about a bunch of kids trying to get their parents divorced. So the children start a club for all the kids whose parents are divorced, and soon after begin to fight and bicker with the kids whose parents are married.

The main thing that surprised me was that these kids are in the fifth grade and are having long explicit scenes of sexual dialogue.This shocked me because Splitsville is a kids movie, and these FIFTH GRADERS are having adult conversations at their lunch table. I quote from one of the fifth graders in the movie:"It's some sort of seed right,that comes out of your nuts," what the hell is dialogue like that doing in this sort of movie.So by the end of the film you will probably understand where they get the PG-13 rating from.

Another thing that gives this movie a bonus is that the kid who plays Ernie is actor Shaun Flemming who stars in the new hit movie Jeepers Creepers 2, I think the kid is talented, I mean for his age he is only 15 years old and was actually the only funny kid in Splitsville.Besides Shaun Flemming starring in Splitsville, actress Loretta Devine(Urban Legend) has a small role as the school principal, and I enjoyed her performance.

All in all a funny at times, kid's movie. My rating:4/10 Rated PG-13 for sex related material and sexual dialogue involving adolescents.

Strictly kid stuff

[Merely · 4/10 · 15 June 2000]

My seven year old found some parts of this movie funny. I really didn't. But what could one expect with a premise of kids trying to get their parents to split up in order to join the gloomy neighborhood club for kids of divorce? Pretty silly. There is absolutely no appeal here for anyone over the age of 12. Was also distracting to hear actor Aidan Quinn's voice coming out of lead actors face.

Funny movie from my childhood collection of 90s films

[edindinger · 3/10 · 1 August 2020]

This movie is funny, yet at times, inappropriate for children considering the main character, a young fifth grader, makes up a story about him having sex after going on vacation to Las Vegas. Sex is mentioned a lot. This movie highlights the struggles of going through a divorce at a young age. It's a good story about friendship. If you want a good laugh then watch this movie, but if this kind of content is inappropriate to you then it might not be for you.

A good, honest kid's film

[ellobo · 16 May 2000]

"Splitsville" approaches divorce with an honesty you don't find in many films about or for kids today. The dialogue between the kids is frank, and the situations a bit fantastical, as they should be in such a film, but it all plays in a very real way.

Anyone who's ever been a sixth grader in suburbia knows that this is the way kids speak about sex and divorce. Actually, this is the way kids speak about anything: they recite the bits and pieces they hear their parents say, and fill in the rest using their own imagination, often with hilarious results. When a group of kids somehow decide that sex has something to do with food, I'm reminded of my own elementary school idea of how it's done -- I'll spare you the details, but I was wrong.

The movie is fun, it has a good message, and it doesn't present it in a "mommy and daddy still love each other but..." kind of way. Instead, it presents the situation, allows the characters to form their natural plan of action, and discover the reality of their situation on their own.

I recommend it.

90210... with 5th graders

[Apollo_11 · 2/10 · 20 July 2004]

Let me start off by saying this is a truly awful film. If only they'd give that budget and crew to some of us desperate filmmakers out there who would have given something back 100 times better.

Some kids do talk about sex, yes even at that age. But there's no way they talk about it like they do in this film... Their conversation was way too mature (and crass) for their age group. Then again, maybe there was something in the water... At least that's where I thought it was going.

My biggest question is... What the hell was Christopher Lambert doing in this film? I think he needs to change his agent if he's being sent scripts of this caliber.

Some of it wasn't bad. You almost got the feeling it was a first time director and he was starting to get the cuts right toward the end (because much of it didn't gel together well at all because they didn't get enough/suitable coverage).

So what are the good points? I thought the lead kid who played James (David Berry) had the most talented performance (Too bad he hasn't done anything since). Jesse Littlejohn wasn't bad either. Most of the kids were like something out of The Little Rascals. The film quality is Hollywood (think they filmed it on Panavision). The soundtrack isn't bad, but feels somewhat dated for a film that was shot in the late 90s.

Strangely, I found it mildly entertaining... It is watchable, but some of it will make you cringe.

Porky's 4: The grade school years.

[VicDawg · 1/10 · 18 December 1999]

This movie was damned near unwatchable, but I labored through it just so I could bash it w/a clear conscious. The movie basically shows you how "funny" divorce is. Woo hoo thats a knee slapper. It also shows fifth graders displaying the sexual aptitudes of late-teens. Calling their classmates "hotties" and explaining sex as a seed that comes out of your nuts. They said it, not me. Kids say the darndest things don't they?

Divorced or Not, It Makes for Good Discussion.

[maddieweber · 7/10 · 1 January 2007]

If you're not a child of divorce, or a statistics lover - you probably won't find this movie amusing or intuitive. However, if you are a child of divorce, or if you have a child that is, I fully recommend that you use this movie as a recreational/educational/developmental tool for dialogue and discussion.

There is a lot in this movie. With in the main plot and subplots there are intricacies and dichotomies waiting to be dissected. More than just divorce is covered, but it is covered from the perspective of the child whose parents are divorced - so the viewer sympathizes with them.

James, the main boy, has the best insight when he says to Karen that he liked the club (for children of divorce) that they had better before it became a club with a mission, "when it was just a place to talk." Children need outlets, and specifically James' and Sam's cases explain what happen when children have a lack of communication with their parents.

I felt bad

[Munkyfun · 10/10 · 5 November 2000]

After meditating over the matter for a long period of time I have decided to give this movie a ten. I have decided so, not because it was a good movie (O Lord no) but because I felt so bad for the kids. Those poor poor children....

shame really

[Darthginger · 13 March 2001]

amongst the diabolical acting and the under developed plot, it was actually a good idea, something not often seen in films. it had an original storyline but its interpretation was terrible. i watch a lot of films, b-movies included after watching this the only thing i liked was the intro music.

A member of the Loyal Order of Divorce's review

[mastiffgirl-12847 · 10/10 · 10 September 2023]

There are two stories told in this film. One of divorce shown through the eyes of children, and a second of finding a place to belong when parents are splitting up and a sense of having a home disappears.

The anxieties and guilt felt by adults during a divorce aren't that much different than what kids feel. To some degree, kids feel more guilty during that process because they don't know as many details as their parents and thus assume everything is their fault, and this film addresses that. From my perspective as a child of divorce, I think the importance of being honest with kids about what's happening is relayed well in this film, even though the kids take that information and turn it into a 'war' with their peers.

The 'divorced kids' club showcases the universal needs for acceptance and a sense of belonging. I definitely could have used a club like that during my parents' divorce. Kids today have a lot more resources to find support groups than I did in 2000. Is it any easier to have your parents split up? No. But the support kids need is easier to find.

Overall, I think the story was well-executed and I relate to it very deeply, especially being the same age as the kids in the film.