Over the Hedge Review
by [email protected] (johnny_betts AT hotmail DOT com)May 19th, 2006
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Over the Hedge
http://www.themoviemark.com/moviereviews/overthehedge.asp
PLOT
When RJ the raccoon's plan to steal Vincent the Bear's food goes awry, RJ has to replace everything or he'll be the bear's main course for dinner. RJ makes his way to a small patch of woods near a new subdivision of homes that seem to be stacked with plenty of food.
RJ meets a group of animals (led by a turtle that sounds a lot like Garry Shandling), and he does his best to convince them that he can help them store as much food in a week that it normally takes a year to accumulate. But first they must overcome their fear of what's on the other side of the hedge. Will plans go as smoothly as they hope? Not if this movie is to be dragged out for 90 minutes they won't! My favorite DreamWorks animated film ensues.
JOHNNY'S TAKE
I'm always more than willing to carry the "DreamWorks ain't got nothing on Pixar!" banner when it comes to the issue of comparing their CGI-animated films. All you have to do is watch Shark Tale (though I don't recommend it) and then compare it to Finding Nemo to understand why.
Is it really that hard to find writers that can figure out how to appeal to both adults and children? Anybody can take a big budget and put a lot of impressive CGI on screen (well, except for you, A Sound of Thunder!), but I want something that I actually care to follow. Give me a story that will at least keep my interest, not a bunch of lame puns and outdated M.C. Hammer references that wouldn't have even been funny 15 years ago.
Well, you know what?
"What?"
DreamWorks has finally done it! Call the neighbors and wake the kids because Over the Hedge kept me consistently entertained. No, it's still not in Toy Story's league, but doggone it they gave it the ol' college try, and I appreciate the solid effort.
It helps that Bruce Willis, William Shatner, and Steve Carrell all lend their highly entertaining voices and styles to give us characters that I actually cared about (awww!) and wasn't annoyed by. Granted, Eugene Levy and Wanda Sykes have voices that could inspire me to poke my ear drums out with a kitchen utensil, but thankfully they're not overused, making them surprisingly tolerable.
I would warn you not to set your hopes too high though. While there are a handful of laugh-out-loud moments, I was never rolling in the aisles with crazy Benny Hinn-esque fits of laughter. For the most part this is just a pleasantly amusing film that will make the kids giggle, keep the adults smiling, and keep DreamWorks' pockets heavier than I could ever dream mine to be.
THE GIST
DreamWorks finally gives us an animated film that doesn't feature heavy amounts of animal flatulence. Thank you, DW, thank you very much. Kids will love Over the Hedge, and there are enough likable characters and adult-targeted jokes to keep the older folks happy. There's no need to dread this one if your kid is begging you to take him to see it.
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
Johnny Betts
The Movie Mark
http://www.themoviemark.com
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