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Back Shelf Beauties
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Over The Hedge When I walked in to see Over The Hedge, I was worried about impending doom and disaster. I was in a horrible mood, and feared the movie was going to get my harshest treatment if it was unsatisfactory in the slightest, most minute way. Luckily for all of us, Over The Hedge is hilarious and changed my mood immediately. It turns out a squirrel, turtle, skunk, possum and raccoon can save the day when you are down and out, once again proving, TALKING ANIMALS ARE FUNNY! Bruce Willis provides the voice of RJ the Raccoon - a fast talking nocturnal rogue who has adeptly and eagerly adapted to living in the growing suburbia around him. One night, he attempts to steal a large stash of food horded by Vincent the Bear (Nick Nolte), but he gets caught and must replenish all of the food within a week, or else. RJ realizes this is too big of a job for one animal, so he makes friends with a kindly group of fellow four-legged critters who have been hibernating all winter - Verne the Turtle (Garry Shandling); Hammy the Squirrel (Steve Carell); Stella the Skunk (Wanda Sykes); Ozzie the Possum (William Shatner) and his daughter, Heather (Avril "I sold out" Lavigne); and Lou the Porcupine (Eugene Levy), his wife Penny (Catherine O'Hara) and their three kids. When they went to sleep, they were living the high life in a plentiful forest. Now, spring is here, and they are surrounded by a new suburban town that lies just over the hedge that separates them from human beings. Now, RJ has concocted a scheme to get them hooked on human food (That shouldn't be hard. After you taste Ben and Jerry's or Oreos, you don't go back to eating berries and bark.), and fool them into helping him collect what he needs to pay back Vincent. Will the gang adjust to their new lives as garbage raiders? Will they find out RJ is using them for nefarious purposes? Over The Hedge is one of best, funniest and most exciting movies of the summer, whether you are young, old, man, woman, child or critter. Even an avowed enemy of nature like me wants to take some of these cuddly creatures home. Based on the daily comic strip of the same name (created by Michael Fry and T Lewis), the movie works on every level. Directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick masterfully mix adult level humor with silly stuff the kids will like. Johnson and Kirkpatrick, along with the 4 person writing team, insert hilarious movie references from classics like Citizen Kane and Silence of the Lambs, while never forgetting to make sure we have enough pratfalls to keep the youngest of kids laughing. Most of all, as mentioned to me by fellow movie critic BDK, the writers and directors slyly include some commentary about the expansion of the suburbs, American consumerism run amok, and the strange customs we have that might be quite shocking to other living beings on this planet, but they do it in a funny way we can all laugh at without starting a political firestorm in the middle of a kiddie movie. To the satisfaction of anyone who wants a good story with belly laughs, Johnson and Kirkpatrick make Over The Hedge a character driven film that takes advantage of the amazing and talented cast. You can't say enough about the tour de force performances of everyone in the cast. Willis is perfect as the wise guy, fast talking con man as he leads the gang's journey into the mystical and comical world of humans. He has the right tone, the spot on delivery and the kind of timing only a great pro could have. Shandling is marvelous as the dowdy, whiny turtle who sees his leadership usurped by the newcomer, but also finds moments to show us Verne's fierce side as the father of the wayward family of animals. However, the best performances come from three supporting characters who are used to stealing scenes. Carell is brilliant in Over The Hedge as the one actor who creates a distinctive voice for his character, Hammy the Squirrel - an A.D.D., hyperactive creature who is full of a child-like spirit. Kids will love his antics and will be repeating his lines over and over again, while adults will get the biggest kick out of Shatner as the possum who melodramatically "plays possum" to avoid trouble. With his customary pomposity and cheesiness (intentionally reminiscent of a certain Star Fleet captain) Shatner delivers a "death" scene you just know he has been hoping to for years and years. Finally, Sykes also gives a performance you would expect as the sassy skunk who isn't afraid to let everyone know they are acting like morons. Of course, none of it would be funny without amazing digital animation. Everyone on the animation team should be proud of the work they have done in Over The Hedge. The animators bring the actors' voices to life with characters that have the smoothness, detail and movement of actual beings. You forget they are CGI characters, which makes the audience care about them and feel the tension when they are in danger. Over The Hedge is perfect in every way. The smallest of kids might be scared when our heroes have to face off with an exterminator, and some of the PG-naughty humor might not be what you want your kid repeating (a few jokes about nuts), but Over The Hedge is quite family safe. 4 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2006 - WaffleMovies.com
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