“Open Season” (Sony Pictures)
A Bore and A Snore
This has been a year full of animated movies aimed at the kid audience. The latest “Open Season” proves you can beat any genre to death. Although Ashton Kutcher and Martin Lawrence provide good vocals for the characters, the movie itself is a bore and a snore. If you find yourself watching this movie with your kids you might want to tell them to “wake me up when it’s over!”
The movie concerns a bear named Boog (Lawrence) who befriends a deer named Elliot (Kutcher). Boog lives with a sweet game warden named Beth (Debra Messing), who pampers him like a pet. Boog loves his life but he lets Elliot’s more adventurous ways lead him astray.
After they destroy a convenience store Beth is convinced that Boog has to go back into the wild, so she helicopters him and Elliot up to a place high in the mountains. Once there Boog panics at the thought of living in the wilderness and begins a trek to get back to Beth. Along the way he is pursued by a deranged hunter (Gary Sinise).
All of this sounds fine and fun but in truth it is BORING!!!! The one hour and forty minutes of running time seems to be more, much more. The movie just does not have the spark of a “Finding Nemo” or even a “Madagascar.” There are a few songs thrown in here and there but they are forgettable in the extreme.
The animation is alright as far as animation goes but there is nothing special to view here either. Audiences are used to being able to see the individual hairs in a bear’s fur. That isn’t something that awes us now in the least.
The best thing about the movie is the voices, especially Lawrence. He does everything within his power to make Boog loveable and laughable – and he almost succeeds. It is just hard to be charmed when you are falling asleep.
The film is rated PG for some crude humor.
It’s a given that kids are going to want to see this movie. They want to see all animated movies. But is this one going to be a children’s classic I don’t think so. It will have a short run in theaters and then have bigger success on video. That’s my take.
Take the kids to see it if you must They will get a few chuckles out of the adventures of Boog and Elliot. But be prepared to be bored silly as the film marches to its interminable end.
I scored “Open Season” a closed 4 out of 10.
