Robert Rodriguez is a filmmaker with at least two sides. On one hand, he was responsible for the sexy and violent thriller "El Mariachi," that film's two sequels, and the very-R-rated "Sin City."
But the 36-year-old writer/director has also made films aimed directly at young audiences, including the popular "Spy Kids" movies — and his latest, "The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D."
For most of us, it may be hard to reconcile one with the other, but Rodriguez insists that it all makes perfect sense. "You can't keep making the same kind of movies over and over again and keep your sanity — not in this business," the filmmaker said by phone from his Austin, Texas, movie-production studio. "So I'm just changing my gears."
In fact, Rodriguez says the family-friendly movies are reminiscent of the Super-8 films and videos that he and his brothers made nearly 30 years ago, while growing up in Austin. "I've always had this childish fascination with good guys and bad guys, with superheroes and supervillains, with characters who have very little shadings. They're either really good or really bad."
That has apparently rubbed off on his children, especially his son, Racer Maximillian Rodriguez. "Racer Max," as he's known to his family and friends, receives a special on-screen credit for "Shark Boy & Lava Girl," and the main character is loosely based on him.
In the film, Max (played by Cayden Boyd) is a shy boy who is befriended by a pair of superheroes, Shark Boy and Lava Girl (Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dooley). The real-life Max, though, came up with the characters on a lark two years ago when he was 7. "We were playing around the pool, and the other kids and I were teasing him," Rodriguez recalled. "Suddenly he said, 'I'm the Shark Boy, Dad. I'm going to get you.' "
Afterward, father and son sat down and began creating the character's back story and developed a series of adventures. "I'm always encouraging my children to be creative — especially when they come up with great ideas I can use later," Rodriguez said with a laugh.
Still, Rodriguez hadn't really given thought to making Max's "Shark Boy" stories into a movie until he got a call from the Weinstein brothers, the studio chiefs who produced the "Spy Kids" movies. "They pretty much called me out of the blue and sort of put me on the spot. They asked me if I had another 'Spy Kids' film in the works or if I had anything similar. So I jokingly threw out the name 'The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl in 3-D.' They said, 'That sounds great,' and then left me scratching my head."
But Rodriguez did jump at the opportunity to make the movie and work closely with his son, as well as his other three children.
And the fictional Max's parents, played by David Arquette and Kristin Davis, closely resemble Rodriguez and his wife, Elizabeth Avellan. "This was a real family affair. I had the kids help me with designs and with the jokes and the story, because they're the kind of audience that's going to want to see this movie. And to be honest, it hardly felt like work at all. I didn't have to spend time away from them, because they were always there. Can you tell that I had a really great time making this movie?"
Those who worry that Rodriguez is "going soft" because of all these family ventures shouldn't worry, though. Next up for him is another "Sin City" movie, this time based on comics artist Frank Miller's "A Dame to Kill For" story line. And "Grind House," a horror movie that features hourlong stories from Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, will certainly be R-rated.
"Well, I do have that other side I have to indulge from time to time," he said.
And he added that he enjoys staying busy. (His name has also been mentioned in conjunction with the long-in-development "Conan" movie project, as well as the film version of "Madman," based on LDS comic artist Mike Allred's comic-book series.)
"There are a lot of movies I'd like to make if there were only more hours in the day," Rodriguez said. "For example, I'd really like to do something with my kids again soon."
Then he said once again, "Can you tell that I had a really great time making this movie?"
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com