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Shelf Beauties |
Charlotte's Web If you are taking
your kid to see Based on the
popular novel by E.B. White, Charlotte’s
Web is the story of little Wilbur
(voice by Dominic Scott Kay) - one amazing pig living on a farm that
appears to
be modeled on a Norman Rockwell painting.
Thanks to the intervention of Fern (Dakota Fanning,
who saves Wilbur
like she saved Dreamer),
he escapes the horrible fate that usually befalls the
runt of the litter, but our little pig finds himself living on her
uncle’s
farm, where another horrible fate may await him.
All of the other animals in the barn have a
feeling Wilbur is getting plumped up to be the Christmas Ham, but a
kind and
loving spider named Is Wilbur
destined for the ominous smokehouse across the way?
What does Charlotte’s
Web is a sweet, simple movie for the
kids, and the rekindling of a childhood memory for adults. Director Gary Winick knows
what the kids want
to see (and that would be talking animals, because talking animals are
funny),
but also takes advantage of the story’s more mature plot
lines to have just as
much impact on the adults in the audience.
He approaches it all with a soft touch, so children
don’t get too
scared, but so that everyone in the audience understands the danger
Wilbur
faces in the normal order of farm life.
Best of all, Winick makes the most of the
movie’s fun parts as we see
Wilbur bringing new life, community and love to a farm where all of the
animals
seem to be strangers until his antics and plight draw them together
like a
family. Sadly, our
live actor is the one
who has the most problems. Dakota Fanning's performance
is my biggest complaint about Charlotte’s
Web.
I hate to say something negative about
everyone’s favorite little blonde
cherub (and I’ll probably get coal in my Christmas stocking
for it), but this
is not her best performance. Fanning
is
stiff and never seems to find a comfort zone within the character that
makes
her come off as realistic and smooth.
Fern is supposed to be a withdrawn and quiet child,
but Fanning takes it
a bit too far, and lacks that magic you usually get in her portrayal of characters. Meanwhile, writers Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick fill Charlotte’s Web with plenty of funny dialogue that helps the movie’s big stars come off funnier and wittier than they ever have before, relying on a decent mix of slapstick comedy and a well written script. From Oprah as Gussy the Goose to Robert Redford as Ike the Horse (who is afraid of spiders) to John Cleese as Samuel the Sheep, the big stars all have some special moment to shine in the movie, but none shines brighter than Steve Buscemi as Templeton the Rat. I have never
been a big fan of rats
(and often campaign for their elimination and extinction from the
planet), but
Buscemi, with his world weary sarcasm and quick one-liner deliveries,
steals
the show from the bigger names in one of the best vocal performances
you will
see (or, more appropriately, hear) in a movie.
He makes the character into a lovable rogue, with
equal parts charm and
revulsion. Finally,
Roberts does a
wonderful job as the warm, motherly figure, and delivers in the
movie’s climax
in a way that is sad, but easy for young children to handle (this totally redeems her after The Ant Bully). The animation is
amazing as the audience gets to see real emotion in all of the
animals’ faces,
and the ending is just about as wonderful as you remember it being the
first
time you read the book, but Charlotte's Web is just a touch too simple for me
(but
it’s for kids, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised). 3
½ Waffles (Out
Of 4) Charlotte's Web is rated G
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