Genres

Visitors Review

Vivekmaru45 2013-05-18 21:22:00

This Raccoon Is A Fast Food Addict!

I really enjoyed this one. Also this is on of those beautifullyscripted cartoon films with great all-round casting. The main characterin this film is an adorable racoon called RJ (Bruce Willis), whoaccidentally obliterates a huge store of food which belongs to a bearcalled Vincent (Nick Nolte).Vincent gives RJ a week to replace the store of food. If RJ failed toaccomplish this feat, Vincent vows to hunt him down and eat him.A frightened RJ finds small forested plot where a pack of hibernatinganimals have just awoken, surprised to find a large hedge thatseparates the forest from the human community. Verne the box turtle(Garry Shandling), the group's elder, urges the others to startstashing food for next year. RJ appears to the group and tells themthey can collect all the food they will need within a week by raidingthe humans' trash and homes. Verne is extremely pessimistic aboutcrossing the hedge, but RJ is able to convince the others to join him.One of the big highlights in this animated film is Bruce Willis's voiceacting is outstanding. He really gets into the act and seems to beenjoying voicing the character of RJ. The other voice actors complementhim wonderfully, namely Garry Shandling, Wanda Sykes and Steve Carrellwho voice-acts and adorable young squirrel named Hammy. In this cartoon you see the perspective from the animals and from thehuman's side. This film is jam-packed with good humor.Children and adults of all ages should find this animated film veryappealing. And this one is DEFINITELY WORTH BUYING.

2013-05-18 08:52:20

Loved it

This is a really cute, funny film. Makes fun of homeowner associations too so that is always good.

micheal greyhound 2013-05-17 01:46:13

DREAMWORKS COULD DO SO MUCH BETTER

This movie was good but it could have been so much better and so much funnier.This direction was poor and could have made this movie so much better.If your the tipe of person that likes animation movies Over the hedge is for you but this movie is made for younger children.The movie is verry fair but it was way way to short.Dreamworks you could do so much better

fwomp 2013-05-16 18:59:01

Urban Sprawl Meets The Varments

Animated films have some stiff competition. Not only do they have tocompete against some truly marvelous predecessors (see SHREK,HOODWINKED, and FINDING NEMO), they also have to entertain not justkids, but adults who enjoy taking their kids to watch such films.OVER THE HEDGE has some great animation and some good voices, but we'veseen these things time and again. It also has a morally upstandingstoryline (i.e., not betraying your friends and becoming a part ofsomething bigger than just yourself), but we've seen that ad nauseam,too (ICE AGE). What most movie watchers want — regardless if it'sanimated or live-action — is something fresh, new, and engaging. Andthat is where Over The Hedge fails. We get the same old story, the samegreat animation, and the same impressive voice cast.It is the cast that'll keep you watching it, too. Bruce Willis (DIEHARD) is the main character, starring as RJ, a raccoon with a bigproblem. He attempts to steal all of the food from a hibernatinggrizzly's cave (Vincent voiced by the gravelly sounding Nick Nolte, THEGOOD THIEF). When the bear awakens before RJ can make good his getaway,RJ accidentally lets go of all the food and it slides down the mountainand is destroyed. He's then given an ultimatum: get the bears food backwithin a week or be eaten alive. So RJ heads out and stumbles upon aninterspecies family that have awakened one morning to find theirwilderness world encroached upon by a huge hedge. Urban sprawl has cometo their neck of the woods, and this ragtag group's leader Verne (GaryShandling, THE GARY SHANDLING SHOW) must find out what this hedge isfor and why it's there. But Verne is just one turtle and needs the helpof his extended family. They include Hammy (Steve Carrell, LITTLE MISSSUNSHINE), a nonplussed squirrel with hyperactive sensibilities; Stella(Wanda Sykes, POOTIE TANG), a skunk with an image problem; Ozzie(William Shatner, MISS CONGENIALITY), an overly-dramatic possum caringfor his family; and a few others.RJ runs into this clan and spots an opportunity to gather the food heneeds for the bear. Manipulating his way into the family, he teachesthem about junk food, dumpster diving, and the human world "over thehedge." But with the human world comes danger. Most notable among themis Dwayne (Thomas Hayden Church, SIDEWAYS), a varment exterminator.Will RJ risk this innocent animal family in order to save his own neck?The answer isn't surprising.Certainly the voices are entertaining, even more so than the script theactors read. Special notice has to go to Steve Carrell for hishyper-Hammy squirrel who avoids caffeinated beverages until the endwhen his super-speed is increased to Matrix-like proportions. Also,William Shatner's Shakespearean possum is flat-out fun. But that's it.And for an hour-and-a-half flick, it's not enough.

2013-05-16 11:50:49

It was good once for me, but I bought it for the children.

This review is from: Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) It was good once for me, but I bought it for the children. After watching it the one time, I had had enough. Kids love it over and over again, though. In my opinion, the story isn't as good as say, Pixar's, "Monster's Inc.."

shadow589 2013-05-15 14:22:21

The best animated movie in years; period.

No joke. This film is energetic, fun, original, hilarious, and some ofthe most impressive CGI to date (note the shine of the skunks hair andthe reflective images in the chip bags). I though Dreamworks wasstarting to get cocky when I saw 'Madagascar' (original, I'll give itthat, but not something I'd care to see more than once), but they havemore then redeemed themselves with this sure-to-be classic; a closematch with 'Shrek' but I dare not go as bold as to say which one isbetter. How funny is it? Okay, remember when you went to go see Ice Age 2 abouta month back? And, lets admit it (especially if you saw it more thanonce), you sat through that film just to see more hysterical Scratsequences. Take that classic Loony Toon comic nature and spread it allacross a film reel. That's 'Over the Hedge'. You'll fall in love withSteve Carell's hyper active character Hammy the squirrel instantly. Butthe quickly-rising comic star isn't the only one holding the cards incomedy. The whole cast gets their fare share of good laughs. I couldn'tstop laughing when R.J. (Bruse Willis) explains to the backyard animalsthe characteristics of a certain (and rather dangerous) back lawn.Is it worthy of your four-year-old's viewing? If you don't mind yourkids watching Bug Bunny, I can very safely say "YES!" This film doesn'teven sneak in any appropriately used swear words (like 'The Meltdown')that may even still scare away some parents. Completely innocent comedythat will have kids and their grandparents in stitches!! You'll fall in love with this film the same way you fell in love withPixar's films! And I'll take the 'Pepsi Challenge' on that any day.Just don't let Hammy have any.

Dan Franzen 2013-05-15 02:55:25

Solid, amusing, fun-festooned treat!

Based on the popular comic strip by Michael Fry, Over the Hedge issweet, innocent fun with just enough wry humor and chicanery to keepadults amused. I wasn't a fan of the bland musical interludes, but thevoice characterizations were dead on, and the storyline was charming.The story begins with a battle: a raccoon, named RJ (Bruce Willis),versus a tenacious vending machine. We can all relate to RJ's anguishwhen the snack just won't come out of the machine, no matter whatmethod he tries. Soon he's bounding up a hill to ransack the cave of ahibernating bear (voiced by Nick Nolte). Who, of course wakes up(early) as RJ is making his escape. Long story short, the bear's wagonof food winds up being decimated by a tractor-trailer in the highway.As a result, Vincent the Bear tells RJ that when he (Vincent) wakes upfrom hibernation in two weeks' time, RJ had better have returned ALL ofthe food, plus the wagon and a cooler - or else.Next, a heterogeneous group of woodland creatures wakes up in ahollowed log. Led by the organized Verne the Turtle (Gary Shandling),the various critters must now assemble enough food to last them throughthe next winter as well. Ah, but then they discover The Hedge. It seemsthat during their long slumber, their beloved forest has beenencroached by Suburbia. Gasp! Luckily, new friend RJ is there toexplain it all to them and to tell them of his plan to replenish theirfood supply - raid the houses over the hedge, of course! There are acouple of themes here to teach the kidlets: trust and friendship. As aloner raccoon, RJ has no friends and no one to trust, so he tries tobamboozle the other animals into scrounging up enough food for him topay off Vincent the Bear. Meanwhile, Verne (who's the smartest of hisbunch and the most suspicious) doesn't really trust RJ and thinks hisplan will wind up getting some or more of them killed.But this is a cartoon, after all, so wacky hijinks surely win out overmaudlin Lessons Learned, although, as with the best cartoon, youryounger set will surely take away good, positive themes. Well, that andsome great physical comedy, including a scene in which RJ and Vernewind up in an airborne child's wagon.The movie's voices are well cast; in addition to Willis, Nolte, andShandling, we hear from Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, andEugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, who are wonderful as porcupinespouses.Even the brief, listless musical numbers won't turn off many people, asthe movie manages to bring forth the funny while remaining true to thespirit of its predecessor comic strip.

2013-05-14 22:00:16

Favorite

Definately one of my all time favorites. The comparisons and descriptions of humans and food is hilarious! Fun for all ages.

kai ringler 2013-05-13 18:19:06

a great movie

I was totally amazed at how good this movie was, now i've seen a few ofthe kids movies but not that many, and this was better than any kidsmovie .. animation that i have seen. Loved the actors/actresses whothey got to do the voices here,, Bruce Willis,, perfect choice, EugeneLevy, Gary Shandling,, William Shatner, and yes even AVril Lavigne mydaughter's fav. singer. The plot line was very good as well, i mean youhave this squirrel who steals food from the bear, get's caught ofcourse, then has 7 days to get all of the food back before the bearget's up from hibernation.. bear woke up early cause the squirrel madesuch a racket to steal the bear's food. The squirrel then goes intosuburbia ... on the other side of the hedge to join up with some of theother animals who were in hibernation to help him with his plan.unbeknown est to them of course,, what a great family movie here, trustme , this is good , and not just for kids, i am usually very leery ofanimation movies, but this was top notch.

TC 2013-05-13 07:54:28

This was a very good fun movie my kids loved.

I found this movie to be one of the better animated movies of the summer and much more appropriate for children than many of the other animated movies (like monster house which you should be at least 15 to see). I highly recomend this movie to anyone who wants a good story with some decent music and some funny scenes.

2013-05-11 20:18:10

book lover

This review is from: Over the Hedge (DVD) Except of the beginning with the bear that scares my 2 years old, the movie is pretty good.

2013-05-11 16:15:11

Not Like the Comic Strip

Verne and R.J. are two layabout losers unliked by the rest of the animals. At least they were until this movie came out. Verne (the turtle) has been transformed into the clan leader and voice of reason. It is through his diligence that the local animals survive their winters. This spring the animals awaken to find most of their forest is gone and has been replaced by suburbia. R.J. (the racoon) meets up with them while trying to save his own hide from a hungry bear.R.J. tries to corrupt the animals into helping him gather food from the humans. Verne is always the detractor trying to keep the status quo and remain safe. Many adventures ensue and R.J.'s character comes to light. Eventually the various situations are resolved in comic fashion and things work out.This is a fun story with some excellent voice characterizations but it is not the comic strip. Some aspects of the strip do come through quite nicely. All in all it is a fun romp of a movie with just the right mix of comedy, drama, silliness, and character development. The story is very well thought out and it works. There is also a short feature included on the disk starring the squirrel and a boomerang. Check it out.

2013-05-10 22:22:55

Excellent

This review is from: Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) DVD came way before the listed date. It was wrapped and intact. Only thing is, the case is a little cheaper than a DVD you would buy in a store, BUT the price difference makes it worth it!

2013-05-10 16:24:30

One of my favorite animated movies!!

This review is from: Over the Hedge (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) I have to admit, I am almost 30 and I love this movie from beginning to end. Just like all animated movies, it's extremely cleverly (is that a word?) written, and is just plain fun to watch, especially with my daughter. My wife also throughly enjoys this as well.Just a fun movie and you won't regret purchasing it.

2013-05-10 02:40:45

One of the best animated features ever

Over the Hedge is absolutely excellent. Vocal performances coordinate with animated characters perfectly. Bruce Willis is terrific as RJ, the opportunistic racoon and Nick Nolte is hilarious as the bear ripped off by RJ. Precious animal characters combine with suburban satire to make this one satisfying for kids and adults. Caution: the bear is a little scary for children under 3. P.S. My favorite character is the turtle voiced by Gary Shandling. Highly Recommended!!!

mrmoo2001 2013-05-09 06:31:43

A bizarre mixture of sheer brilliance, painful clichés and wanton sappiness.

Indeed, you'll probably find your eyes watering during the emotionalbits for all the wrong reasons. So why the high rating? Well, there wascomedy. From the wonderfully subtle, the ridiculously over the top, thevery simple, and yes, even blue-tinged at times, it pretty much allworked, and it was really, really clever. I laughed a lot.The cast, too, is a winning point. Seriously, how can you go pastWilliam Shatner playing a melodramatic 'possum? The actors are alltalented and lift their characters over and above the one-dimensionalautomata they could so easily have been. And did I mention that WilliamShatner plays a 'possum? Also, Ben Folds was responsible for writingand singing the songs that you'll hear every now and then. I mean,that's a plus by any measure.What I'm basically saying is that I can take a step back and shredalmost every aspect of 'Over the Hedge'. It's very, very silly for onething. The overall story is uncompelling at the best of times. Thereare plot points and character moments that are straight from the littlered book of movie character and plot formulae. There are sappy bitsthat I genuinely can't look at. The characters are ingratiatingly cute.But this does not alter the fact that I had fun watching 'Over theHedge'. A lot of fun. This was real float-out-of-the-cinema materialfor me. The plusses outweigh the minuses by huge margin. Or maybe therewas something illegal in that popcorn. Say what you like about the plotor whatever, there were dozens of really good moments that make thefilm well worth watching.The animation, too, is superb. Subtlety prevails with so many effectsand expressions executed so well that you won't even notice them. Thereis an awful lot to see here, and it's my opinion that 'Over the Hedge'warrants a second viewing on the merits of its animation alone.So basically, 'Over the Hedge' is a very clever film in an very sugarycoating. Now, while that may be an adroit summation, you are probablystill wondering if you should actually watch it. Well, can you takemoments of sappiness if it means you'll be seeing another really cleverbit really soon? Then you should see 'Over the Hedge'. Do you actuallylike the saccharine bits and the clever bits as well? Then this filmmight just be tailor-made especially for you. Are you a bitter littleman (or woman... I discriminate not) with a masculinity complex whogets uncontrollably furious when he sees anything that's 'nice'? Thenyou should stay well clear. Likewise if you are a cynical teenager or apainfully literal 10-year-old who particularly hates to see OTTslapstick. But if you can relax and say "Ah, sod it. Yeah, there areclichés. Yeah, it's sappy in parts. But the comedy is actually funnyand, though I hate myself for it, I like Hammy, dammit!" then you'llhave a ball.

bruntonhaley 2013-05-08 10:55:36

One of the best

By far one of my favourite movies, the voices are amazing and you canreally 'see' the characters. Some say the movie is a bit childish but ilove it.The animation is amazing, you can almost feel the fur on characterslike Rj and the expressions on their faces are so clear.I would recommend this for people of all ages, but sticking to thepoint i think children would like it most.The plot is simple and clear, and the characters are very well built.Within the first few frames you learn about the characters, though imust say some of them are actually quite basic.A sequel is something i really would like.

2013-05-07 15:29:22

Not over the top

Cute. A very cute movie. The critters are very lovable and the people are not. A great family movie.

2013-05-06 23:01:56

Movie Review from Anita

This review is from: Over the Hedge (DVD) Over the Hedge is a great family movie. This movie came in great condition in the scheduled time. I was very satisfied with the seller & would recommend them again. I was replacing a movie that had been stolen! Thank you!

TK Yang 2013-05-06 08:46:32

Great slapstick animation mixed in with some social satire

Just caught a sneak preview of this last night in Hollywood. I didn'tgo in with much expectations since I wasn't too impressed by thetrailer. But I ended up being pretty well entertained. What reallystood out to me was the quality of the animation and the great designsof some of the characters, especially the evil Home Owner's AssociationLady. What disappointed me was the childish and crude nature of thedialog and humor, with the exception of a few clever gags near the end.Overall it isn't anything you haven't seen before in othercutesy-animal-CGI, but it did have a few unexpected twists at the endand enough satire about suburbia and American consumerism to make itworth a look even for adults. I rate it: CG quality - 8, Characterdesigns - 8, Story - 6, Dialogue/Humour - 6, Overall - 7.5.