The Post-Gazette reviews movies from a family perspective:

"Charlotte's Web"

Rated: G.

Suitable for: Everyone.

What you should know: In the second screen adaptation of E.B. White's classic children's story, Dakota Fanning plays a farm girl who loves her pet pig. But the real stars are motion-capture and animated animals voiced by a stable of stars including Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McEntire and John Cleese.

Language: No bad words.

Nudity or sexual situations: Pervasive views of unclothed barnyard animals.

Violence/scary situations: Moments of mild peril and a sad scene when a lovable character dies.

Drug or alcohol use: None.

"Eragon"

Rated: PG.

Suitable for: Age 8 to preteen and above.

What you should know: Farm teen Eragon (newcomer Ed Speleers) leads a quiet life with his uncle until he finds an egg that hatches a dragon -- seemingly the last of its kind and the greatest hope for defeating the forces of the malevolent king.

With the help of the wise Brom (Jeremy Irons), Eragon must bond with the dragon, named Saphira, to become a Dragon Rider and elude the evil sorcerer Durza (Robert Carlyle) to join the rebel Vardan. It's up to the teenager to become "so much more" than others see in him by leading the Vardan in a battle to win freedom from the king's tyranny.

Language: None.

Nudity or sexual situations: None.

Violence/scary situations: Durza and his armies are properly grotesque, and Carlyle plays the sorcerer's nastiness to the hilt (likewise John Malkovich as the king, but his few scenes are brief). Danger lurks everywhere for Eragon and Saphira, swords clash and arrows fly, and characters we come to care about are tortured, injured or killed. The climactic battle shows death and destruction on a large scale but mostly in a detached way, although Eragon's confrontations with Durza get up-close and, in one case, prove deadly for a main character.

Drug or alcohol use: There is one scene in a tavern setting.

"The Pursuit of Happyness"

Rated: PG-13.

Suitable for: School-age children and up, although very young children might be disturbed by the notion that a child is homeless.

What you should know: Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden play a San Francisco father and son who end up homeless while he pursues a new career as a stockbroker. Inspired by a true story, although some details have been changed.

Language: The f-word appears as graffiti on a building, and the little boy innocently asks about it. Another dozen or so mild three- or four-letter words.

Nudity or sexual situations: None.

Violence/scary situations: It's upsetting to watch a father and little boy become homeless and sleep in a subway bathroom at one point or, if they're lucky, a shelter. Smith is accidentally hit by a car but walks away, limping, and an angry taxi driver chases someone who skipped out on the fare.

Drug or alcohol use: Almost none. Beer appears to be consumed during a football game.