Nos voisins, les hommes

The computer animated film has become to film studios what Mike Tyson was in the ring in the 1980's: a sure thing. You knew that when Tyson walked in the ring, somebody else was going down, and probably rather quickly. The same is true of most computer animated comedies these days: it is near sure to be a mix of material targeted at children and adults, feature lots of star voices and be entertaining, for the most part at least. Over the Hedge, the latest offering from Dreamworks, does not disappoint on any of the above fronts, and proves to be one more notch in computer animations belt.

The film opens on loner raccoon R.J. (Bruce Willis) who has made the mistake of raiding the hibernation supplies of Vincent the bear (Nick Nolte). After managing to lose all of Vincent's food, R.J. is given an ultimatum: he has one week to replace it all, or he will become a bear snack. R.J. then manages to stumble across a group of animals that hibernate together, Vern the turtle (Gary Shandling), Stella the skunk (Wanda Sykes), Ozzie the possum (William Shatner) and his daughter Heather (Avril Lavigne), Lou (Eugene Levy) and Penny (Catherine O'Hara) the porcupines and their brood, and Hammy the squirrel (Steve Carell). The clan has discovered that while in hibernation, their forest was developed into a residential neighborhood and has left them with only a small patch of land to gather food from.

R.J. appears and decides to take advantage of the situation: he will show the family how to raid the houses just on the other side of the hedge that separates their small patch of woodlands from the development, and when they have gathered everything together, he plans to take it all back to Vincent. Vern proves skeptical of R.J., but the rest follow along, and Vern begins to feel jealous about R.J.'s newfound place in their hearts. Meanwhile, the head of the development's association, Gladys (Allison Janney) has called in an exterminator (Thomas Hayden Church) to take care of this new infestation problem.

Over the Hedge is about as broad based as entertainment comes: it features lots of cute, cuddly animals who perform elaborate hijinks for kids to laugh at, while offsetting this with some more adult oriented jokes and situations for the older set. Over the Hedge is a little less successful at this blending than some other films, such as Monsters, Inc. or Shrek. It is a bit more child oriented, relying on cuter gimmicks than some of it's brethren. It doesn't prove to be off-putting, the film is still more than entertaining for adults, it's just not quite as sophisticated as some that have come before.

Plot-wise, Over the Hedge is about as predictable as they come: the outsider looking out for numero uno who gets his heart melted with the kindness of a new family unit he has found. This contributes to the more child centric feeling to the film; many children may not have seen this played out as often as adults, so the material may seem fresher. Over the Hedge manages to combat this weakness by being consistently funny for most of it's running time. There are plenty of good jokes, gags and situations to leave most audience members laughing a good bit of the time (and in the end, isn't that what a comedy is about).

Voice-wise, most of the parts are fittingly cast. Bruce Willis has just the right amount of wiseguy smarts in his voice to sell cynical, self-centered loner R.J., Gary Shandling has the perfect combo of worry and parental concern, and Steve Carell brings a degree of hyper intensity to Hammy. Nick Nolte is also near-perfect for a bear's growly voice and Thomas Hayden Church really fills out the exterminator.

Over the Hedge probably won't go down as a great entry in computer animated history, but it does it's job well enough to be entertaining, enjoyable and funny. Again, sometimes, what more can you ask?

This movie was better than I expected. I thought that it would be predictable and one of the dime a dozen animation films coming out now. I am an animation fan, and the animation was great, in addition to the story. The characters were somewhat predictable, but very well done and not boring. The voices are very well done as well. This is a movie that children can also enjoy (sounds kind of odd being that animation films are usually supposed to be for kids), in addition to adults. It has some really funny parts that are not cliché humor. Probably the best part about it is the message it sends about humans encroaching on animal habitats and how it affects the balance of nature.

Let me say up front, I had low expectations going into the film. Although I like animation a lot, I wasn't too impressed with previous Dreamworks attempts. I tend to regard cutesy previews with suspicion, and was mostly just going along to have a potentially positive movie-going experience with my family. Things got a little worse when we arrived at the theatre, and both the ticket-tearing guy (if cinemas have a technical name for that role, I don't know what it is) and some poor sap from the commissary tried to pressure-sell the "fresh" soda and popcorn. We had to go out of our way to avoid an extra ad-hoc kiosk the food vendors established smack in the middle of the lobby. I hope that doesn't become standard practice. The twenty-odd minutes of previews were similarly underwhelming, and I was starting to get a little nervous -- is it going to be one of those days I'll want to forget? Then, at long last, Over the Hedge starts. Now I'm not an avid follower of the comic, partly because I don't get to read newspapers very often. The Over the Hedge strip is kind of a latecoming competitor to affections reserved for the beloved Bloom County of my childhood, so I'm not exactly salivating at the potential content. However, I gotta say, I was blown away from the start.

Over the Hedge is a neat movie. Granted, there are points where plot development is pure formula, and some of the dialog seems forced or weakly delivered, but these are minor snits. I was laughing out loud, along with most of the audience, which was well distributed agewise. I won't offer any spoilers, but I have to hand it to the screenwriters for seamlessly integrating action-based slapstick with some very cunning dialog, dialog that flies fast and furious enough that you'd better keep both ears wide open.

Messagewise, there are a few worth noting. I have not seen such a cutting indictment of suburbia since Edward Scissorhands. Some audiences may find the humor cuts a bit too close to home -- literally. Human eating habits are intensely scrutinized, for obvious reasons. Vanity and self-serving hubris are duly repudiated. Plenty of clever asides will appeal to a wholesome sort of cultural nostalgia, without ever seeming derivative or repetitive. There are both heartwarming and chilling references to the importance of family, especially a family under external pressures from a society that they do not understand, a culture that considers them vermin. But the messages aren't overplayed, and mesh well with the rest of this utterly hilarious movie.

There's more, of course, but the bottom line is entertainment, and this movie did not disappoint. Even the extended slapstick, which I seldom enjoy in movies, was so outrageous and excessive that it punched through to my funny bone and had me slapping my knee along with my family. Oh yeah, my family -- they liked the movie too, they liked it a lot. Over the Hedge is one of those solid films to which parents can bring children and everyone has an unreserved good time. That puts it in some pretty esteemed company -- right up there with Toy Story, Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life, et al. Highly enjoyable, highly recommended, 8/10.

While this movie doesn't have the depth of Finding Nemo or Shrek, it was a very fun and well done animation by Dreamworks. The animation was first rate, and the animals were very fun to watch. The voice acting was superb and well cast. What I enjoyed the most about this movie (other than the super funny bits here and there) is the social commentary they presented. It's nothing serious, but it shows us how gluttonous many of us "humans" have become. While many of the human characters are exaggerations, there's quite a bit of truth behind each caricature. My favorite is the Home Owner Association President. She was so overdone (yet so realistic!) that I wasn't sure if I was laughing because it was so true to life, or if it was just so out there.

Anyway, good movie, good times, and go with good company. After some mediocre animation movies from Dreamworks, they hit a good one again with Over the Hedge.

Unbeknowist to me, Over the Hedge is based on a comic strip. I've never seen it, but I can only imagine that it would be just as good as the film, if not better. And while it's not an astonishment, I can say that Hedge is genuinely enjoyable, and great fun for everyone.

R.J. (Bruce Willis) is a hungry raccoon, who just happens to make the mistake of his life when he tries to steal the huge supply of food that Vincent (Nick Nolte), a bear, has stored during his winter hibernation. Vincent is obviously upset, but he gives R.J. a week to collect all the food and everything that went with it, or he'll eat him. So as R.J. sets out, he comes across a new suburban area, filled with food and all of the things he needs. In the neighbouring forest, he finds a "family" of animals, lead by Verne the turtle (Garry Shandling). They are all searching for food as well, so R.J. helps teach them things about the human world that they are unaware of, and sets out to get the food he needs.

Of course, this is the main premise of the film, but it takes a few turns as all animated films do. And like many animated films before it, it has a great message, and is great for kids and adults. The film is packed with light laughs for children, and then the even bigger laughs for the adults. At the heart of the film, it's all basically about the effects of living/creating suburbia, and abusing consumerism. While it only touches on being satirical in this sense, it does offer the usual pop culture references, and many others too. And luckily, it was saved from the obligatory song and dance number that plagues other animated films.

The story is well written, but feels very brisk. It starts, it continues for a bit, and then it ends. It is not as short as some films, but you can't help but wonder what more could have been done if they had a little more running time. It is a much stronger film than other Dreamworks titles like Madagascar and Shark Tale, and really seems like it can stand next to the likes of Shrek 1 and 2.

The voice acting is all top-notch, from Willis' take no-nonsense raccoon, to the sadly missed Shandling as a neurotic turtle. Steve Carrell also stands out as the absolutely insane Hammy the squirrel, as does William Shatner as Ozzie the possum. As I had read before seeing the film, Shatner does an absolutely fabulous job playing possum. I couldn't stop laughing any time his character did something, it's just that great. The rest of the voice cast, from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as parents of hedgehogs, to Wanda Sykes as a skunk, to Thomas Hayden Church as an exterminator, to Nick Nolte as Vincent the bear, all are great and well suited for their roles. They all have quite a bit of screen time, and none feel over-used at all (unlike Madagascar's blatant overuse of Ben Stiller and no one else). Of course, the random inclusion of Avril Lavinge as Shatner's daughter Heather was a little bizarre, you can see that she is at least making an attempt at voice acting here.

And as usual, the animation is excellent. While not being a total improvement from the likes of other Dreamworks films, the advancements are still very noticeable. The grass, the fur, the emotions and gestures, all of them are perfectly captured, and look gorgeous on film. All the colours are great too.

It's a funny movie, and a fabulous cast. It's one of the better animated films of the last few months.

8/10.