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Movie Review - Over the Hedge (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick |
| Starring: |
the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, and Nick Nolte |
| Rated: |
PG (for some rude humor and mild comic action) |
| Length: |
96 minutes |
| Genre: |
Animation/Comedy/Family |
| Tagline: |
Nuts! |
| Studio: |
DreamWorks |
| Website: |
Over the Hedge |
| Release: |
May 19, 2006 |
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PLOT
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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.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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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keep my interest, not a bunch of lame puns and outdated M.C. Hammer references that wouldn't have even been funny 15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.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Based on a comic strip that I've never read.
- Shrek is probably my second favorite DreamWorks CGI feature, but I'm not as crazy about it as most people
are. I still haven't seen the sequel, and you know what? My life doesn't appear to be any worse because of
it.
- Why on earth did Garry Shandling's parents spell "Garry" with two r's? I mean seriously, who does
that?
- Reportedly, Bruce Willis replaced Jim Carrey as the voice of RJ. I don't know who this was initially reported
by, but when I'm told something is "reportedly" the case then that's exactly how I report it. Confused?
- At the beginning of the movie I thought Mickey Rourke was providing the voice of Vincent the Bear. I was going
to make a joke about how once I realized the bear was talking in a sober voice then I knew it wasn't Mickey Rourke.
The problem is that Nick Nolte is the voice of the bear; therefore, the joke doesn't work. Too bad because I thought
it was a real doozy.
- When's the last time YOU used the word "doozy"? Try it today.
- Nick Nolte was in Nightwatch with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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I can see no reason why mama wouldn't grant this movie her maternal approval. I guess an Amish mother might have
a problem with the squirrel saying things like "I found my nuts!" but since I really don't know that much about
the Amish and how Amish mothers react to things of that nature, I choose not to make such a judgment call.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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When I originally watched the trailer I thought it looked just OK and kept my expectations low. I'm happy to report
that my expectations were slightly exceeded.
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THE GIST
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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.
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