Shark Tale Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)October 4th, 2004
"Shark Tale"
Oscar (voice of Will Smith) is a cleaner wrasse working at the reef whale wash. He is tired of being a nobody and dreams of a life atop the reef where he can be "somebody." Lenny (voice of Jack Black) is a Great White Shark with a terrible secret – he's a vegetarian. When a tragic accident kills Lenny's brother Frankie, Oscar takes credit for the act, earning the title "sharkslayer." But, fame has its costs and the two very different fish must form an alliance to survive in "Shark Tale."
DreamWorks Pictures, on the heels of its amazingly successful "Shrek" franchise, is hoping to score with fans of the big green lug while capitalizing on the wonderful anthropomorphizing of the undersea world creatures in "Finding Nemo." Directors Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman tell the story (by Letterman and Michael J. Wilson) of a little fish with big aspirations as Oscar toils away his days as the head tongue scraper at Sykes's (voice of Martin Scorsese) Whale Wash but dreams of living the glamorous, wealthy life. When an opportune accident gives Oscar the chance to tell a little white lie that will get him big things, he thinks he is finally on Easy Street.
Lenny, the youngest son of Don Lino (voice of Robert De Niro), doesn't want to take over the family "business" as the co-head of the shark mob with Frankie. He is a true "fishitarian" who has eschewed the fish-eating life to become a vegetarian. When Frankie takes him out to show Lenny how to act as a killer, they cross paths with Oscar. The sensitive shark can't bear the thought of eating Oscar but Frankie has no such qualms and races forward to make the frightened little wrasse into a snack. Then, wham! An anchor lands right on Frankie's head. While Oscar basks in the fame of his lie over Frankie's demise, Lenny must come up with a plan to fit into the bustle of the reef and avoid his father.
The idea of spoofing Mafia mob movies with the humanized under water world characters may be a good one but here, in "Shark Tale," it does not fare so well. Sure, there are a collection of colorful characters drawn to resemble the actors giving them voice. Cleverly, you get to see the familiar mole on Don Lino's face, the notable ears on Oscar and full lips of Lola (Angelina Jolie). This physical characterization carries through to Angie the angelfish (voice of Renee Zellwegger) and the accentuated eyebrows of Sykes (Scorsese). It's very amusing to watch but it is not sufficient to sustain the film. (The Rastafarian characters of Bernie and Ernie (Doug E. Doug and Ziggy Marley), as Sykes's electric-shocking, dreadlocked jellyfish bodyguards are pretty an entertaining duo, though.)
This maritime gangster film doesn't have a strong enough story to keep the interest level much above that of older kids. There is a great deal of fast talking banter and wise ass remarks as Oscar bluffs his way through life searching for the thing that has been around him all of the time. When you meet Angie and see her adoration and love for Oscar you know what the outcome will be, even when he is tempted by the wily, gold-digging charms of Lola, a lionfish with a little dragon fish mixed in. The morals of Oscar's story are, basically, to look in your own yard for what you want most and be tolerant of your neighbors. It just took a predictable 90 minutes to get there.
While I had few problems with the vocal talents, I found Will Smith's voicing of Oscar to be annoying after a while. There were no standout single performances as we saw in "Shrek," "Monsters, Inc." or "Finding Nemo" (which I think was robbed of an Oscar ® nom for best supporting actress by Ellen Degeneres), which is a surprise considering the actors involved. This, too, may be a fault of the writing, as the characters, once presented, do not change throughout the film. Even Oscar, though positively redirected, is still the same smart-ass wrasse in the end.
There is plenty for the kids to watch that will keep them entertained for the duration of "Shark Tale" but not nearly enough to keep any but the the less discerning adults amused. Product placement with such brands as "Coral Cola," "The Gup," "Kelpy Kremes," "Preparation O" and "Fish King" is far overdone and not that all that clever. (Guys, get an original thought.) I had hopes going into the film and came out with them unrealized. And, that's too bad. I give it a C.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
