Hoot Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)May 4th, 2006
HOOT
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
In the lame and preachy HOOT, three eighth graders, who look two years older but frequently act two years younger, join forces to save the spotted owl. Actually, the owl this time is a burrowing owl that is especially cute but gets little screen time and not the infamous spotted owl. In an incident that rings especially false for anyone with teens, one especially attractive teenage girl leaves home to spend an impromptu sleepover with a guy who likes her, but there isn't even a hint of sexuality to the scene. Writer and director Wil Shriner must not know many eighth graders if he thinks their parents would allow it and, even if they did, that the teens involved would have such completely inoperable hormones.
But perhaps I'm taking this all way too literally, since the movie really has only two things on its mind, being a silly kids' comedy and preaching from the environmental religion bible.
When we meet Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman), he tells us that he has been to six schools in eight years because his father, who works in law enforcement for the Justice Department, keeps getting transferred. He is currently moving from Montana to Florida, where the kids begin to call him "cowgirl," perhaps, one assumes, because of the popularity of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.
In a story filled with stereotypes, he fights with the school's local bully, a big pudgy kid who resembles the Pillsbury Doughboy. Roy is eventually protected by the beautiful Beatrice (Brie Larson), a lovely lass with long blonde pigtails. Called Beatrice the Bear, she is said to be "a major soccer jock with attitude." With her hair down to make her look more alluring, she is the one who sneaks into Roy's room one night for the aforementioned sleepover.
Roy becomes obsessed with determining the identity of a mysterious and illusive "nature boy" who runs like the wind but without shoes. This barefoot boy with a large mop of blonde hair is the spitting image of Brooke Shields' boyfriend in THE BLUE LAGOON. The boy, who turns out to be called only Mullet Fingers (Cody Linley), is actually Beatrice's stepbrother, who is about the same age as her.
Depending on how you view Mullet Fingers' actions, he is either an eco-terrorist or an environmental activist. Doing everything from putting an alligator in a Port-a-Potty to vandalizing a police car and a bulldozer, he does everything he can think of to stop Mother Paula's Pancake House from building a restaurant on the land they own, since he is trying to protect a family of owls who live there. (Late in the story, an environmental report is found to be been ignored by the company, suggesting that Mullet Fingers' acts of civil disobedience should make him a hero and not a criminal. His illegal activities, however, are performed before he finds out the business also broke the law.)
Most of the funny lines are given to Luke Wilson, who plays Officer Delinko, a doofus cop who stays busy with an operation which he calls, "Codename Flapjack." He stakes out the Port-a-Potties until the wee hours hoping to catch the guy who is tormenting Curly (Tim Blake Nelson), the one-man construction crew who is building the restaurant. Wilson manages to say silly lines like, "Step away from the potty!" and sound like he means it.
After the environmental issues have been presented in as one-sided a manner as possible, the law eventually steps in, throws the book at the developer, charging him with all manner of crimes, and proclaims the three teens to be heroes of the community.
HOOT runs 1:30. It is rated PG for "mild bullying and brief language" and would be acceptable for all ages.
My nephew William, age 11, and my niece Liana, age 9, both liked the film and both liked best the episode of the alligator in the toilet that is prominently featured in the trailers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 28, 2006. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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