Over the Hedge
Screenplay written by: Len Blum and Lorne Cameron based on the
comic strip characters of Michael Fry and T. Lewis
Actors: Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda
Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte
Directed by: Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick
Rated: PG
Over the Hedge
Screenplay written by: Len Blum and Lorne Cameron based on the comic strip characters of Michael Fry and T. Lewis
Actors: Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte
Directed by: Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick
Rated: PG
In an animated world of forest loving creatures, R.J., a mischievous raccoon (Bruce Willis), has food on his mind as Spring melts away the winter snow. With a growling stomach, his foraging dares him into Vincent the Bear’s (Nick Nolte) dangerous den where he is discovered stealing the bear’s stockpile of stolen goodies. To save his life, R.J. desperately strikes a nearly impossible deal with the mad bear to replace his wagon full of goodies within one week. Desperate to put back the goodies, R.J. comes upon a group of forest animals befuddled by a tall perfectly manicured hedge that separates the forest from an encroaching housing development. Recognizing that this group can help solve his problem, he tries to tempt them into giving their assistance to solve his dilemma. But Verne the Turtle (Garry Shandling), the wise informal leader of the group, is leery of them eating R.J.’s stolen cookies and wants his forest family to resist temptation and venturing into the suburban land of excess and people-food for their own good.
He Said:
“Over the Hedge” touched on good principles and was technically impressive with Computer Generated Images (CGI) that made the animal fur seem petable. The pleasant story was also loaded with great voice talent choices, not the least of which was Nick Nolte as the husky voice of the bear and Wanda Sykes as the feminine skunk that walked softly and carried a big stink. Loaded with message-laddened puns, the good family movie amusingly includes the dangers of our modern excesses in many forms without preaching. The humorous truths that ran the gambit from SUVs to junk food and homeowner’s associations kept me smiling through the 83 minutes. Although “Over the Hedge” was no “Shrek” in terms of laughter factor, it was still an enjoyable film for the whole family.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
6 for script: Sparsely clever and funny.
6 for direction: Good CGI integration with dialog.
7 for acting: A collection of well-chosen actor’s voices.
5 for plot: Too simple, but enhanced by good messages.
8 for entertainment value for family entertainment.
6.4 overall
She Said:
While this is definitely family entertainment well suited for children, the societal parallels, subtle and obvious, will not be lost on adults. Inside jokes surfaced, like when our menagerie of animals didn’t know what to call the new wall of green separating their forest from encroaching suburbia and Hammy (voiced by Steve Carell) suggested that they call it “Steve.” After that, I was queued to listen closer and watch for symbolism so I found myself wondering if the creators of the golf-bag toting R.J. represented R.J. Harper of Pebble Beach Company and if the hedges around the huge homes encroaching on the Del Monte Forest were inspiration for this tale. It was probably just coincidence, but country club developments are just over the hills and close to home – just like some of the morals in this film.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
7 for script: Witty and currently topical.
7 for direction: Diverse talent and mediums coordinated well.
7 for acting: Talented voices suited well to roles.
6 for plot: It didn’t need to be complicated to be entertaining.
8 for entertainment value for family oriented afternoon movie.
7.0 overall
