Over the Hedge (2006)

 

At times it seemed as though the 'rivalry' between Pixar and Dreamworks was usually decided in the advantage of Pixar, but Dreamworks sure picked up speed. What you do get, is that on occasion the stories are a bit bland, but they manage to compensate that with a stellar cast and decent jokes. Which is pretty much what 'Over the Hedge' offers: a fun film but one with a rather bland and predictable story. 

Bruce Willis plays RJ, a raccoon who manages to lose quite a bit of food from a bear (Nick Nolte) and now has to get it all back in about a week. He has no clue how he is going to accomplish this, until he stumbles on a group of animals that just came out of hibernation and find out they have been boxed in by suburbia. They are all gatherers and RJ sees his opportunity to make them work for him to save his hide.

Yes, of course this is a 'liar revealed'-story. How did you guess? 

And of course eventually RJ is going to choose and stand up for his newfound family. 

Duh.

So while the story does feel rather run-of-the-mill, this film has quite a few things that speak in its favour. For starters: most of the cast is really good. Bruce Willis uses his comedic charm, William Shatner as the opossum Ozzie is hilarious and even Steve Carell's ADHD-squirrel Hammy is good for a few laughs. Probably because they don't use him too much. Most of the jokes also land, with special note to the hilarious portrayal of the dog. See, where the animals here are all able to have conversations, the dog just simply goes: "Play? Play!" but it is a hoot.

That being said, the animation style might not be to everyone's liking and it doesn't feel as polished as it might have been. It's tough to put the finger on, but at times it doesn't seem all there. 

Oh, and the forced 3D-effects? Redundant with a big "R". This came out during a time when suddenly everyone wanted some conversion to 3D (the first 'Avatar' was a massive hit) and you can tell they tried to put it in here, but it all happens in a rather hamfisted way. 

So what you get is an unoffensive and enjoyable romp. It's nice to rewatch after a while and still gets quite a bit of laughs, but it is also a film that is just as easily forgotten.