Hoot (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
Owls CAN be cute. But they certainly can't improve the flawed script in 'Hoot', a family film written & directed by Wil Shriner. It is based on an award winning book by Carl Hiaasen. 'Hoot' tells the story of a teenage boy who moves from majestic Montana to sunny Florida with his folks. On the surface, this is a cute family film that kids in the 8-12 age range may like, but for us adults, it is extremely boring & quite juvenile.
As the new kid on the block, Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman) is struggling to make friends & fend off the class bully. But one day, Roy follows a seemingly homeless boy, "Mullet Fingers" (Cody Linley), and discovers his hide-out. Once there, Roy also sees that a pretty girl from his school, Beatrice (Brie Larson) is helping "Mullet Fingers" on a mission. This mission? To prevent a pancake house from being built on the habitat of some endangered owls; Roy joins this mission & wants to help his newfound friends. Along the way, they must convince their parents, friends, foes, & a bumbling Officer Delinko (awfully played by Luke Wilson), that there must be a stop to the construction before it is too late. Will they save the owls in time? How will they attempt to thwart off Mr. Muckle (Clark Gregg), the man in charge of the construction? What lessons will have been learned?
Why, oh why was this film made? The aforementioned owls are barely a subplot in this mess of a film til the very end of it!! Most of the film focuses on Roy, his avoiding the stereotypical class bully, making fools of the adults, & hanging around "Mullet fingers' in a bizarrely homoerotic fashion. The script is weak. And while the kids in the film are very cute, they are underdeveloped actors. Speaking of underdeveloped acting ... Tim Blake Nelson as Curly is your typical hick; and he doesn't play it down. Jimmy Buffet as the marine science teacher is laughable (although the music, sprinkled with some of his new songs, is quite enjoyable). And the fact that Robert Wagner, who plays the Mayor, is involved in this dreck, is astounding.
Let me try to name some good things about 'Hoot'. We have producer, Frank Marshall ... doesn't matter. We have Luke Wilson & Tim Blake Nelson ... I've never been a big fan of them anyway. The Florida setting is beautiful, but that does not make a great movie. One thing, the message is very important. A film like this encourages children to appreciate wildlife, take a stand, & do something good for our environment in any capacity. But kids should know this already, not from watching this! Its intent is good, but it's execution is bleak. I am being generous about awarding this a D+/1.5 star rating. But if I were to use my little brother, Adam Anzalone, as a barometer ... what with the Florida setting, lots of fishing, cute owls, kids his age telling/doing cheap tricks & jokes, I reckon he'd give this an A.
As the new kid on the block, Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman) is struggling to make friends & fend off the class bully. But one day, Roy follows a seemingly homeless boy, "Mullet Fingers" (Cody Linley), and discovers his hide-out. Once there, Roy also sees that a pretty girl from his school, Beatrice (Brie Larson) is helping "Mullet Fingers" on a mission. This mission? To prevent a pancake house from being built on the habitat of some endangered owls; Roy joins this mission & wants to help his newfound friends. Along the way, they must convince their parents, friends, foes, & a bumbling Officer Delinko (awfully played by Luke Wilson), that there must be a stop to the construction before it is too late. Will they save the owls in time? How will they attempt to thwart off Mr. Muckle (Clark Gregg), the man in charge of the construction? What lessons will have been learned?
Why, oh why was this film made? The aforementioned owls are barely a subplot in this mess of a film til the very end of it!! Most of the film focuses on Roy, his avoiding the stereotypical class bully, making fools of the adults, & hanging around "Mullet fingers' in a bizarrely homoerotic fashion. The script is weak. And while the kids in the film are very cute, they are underdeveloped actors. Speaking of underdeveloped acting ... Tim Blake Nelson as Curly is your typical hick; and he doesn't play it down. Jimmy Buffet as the marine science teacher is laughable (although the music, sprinkled with some of his new songs, is quite enjoyable). And the fact that Robert Wagner, who plays the Mayor, is involved in this dreck, is astounding.
Let me try to name some good things about 'Hoot'. We have producer, Frank Marshall ... doesn't matter. We have Luke Wilson & Tim Blake Nelson ... I've never been a big fan of them anyway. The Florida setting is beautiful, but that does not make a great movie. One thing, the message is very important. A film like this encourages children to appreciate wildlife, take a stand, & do something good for our environment in any capacity. But kids should know this already, not from watching this! Its intent is good, but it's execution is bleak. I am being generous about awarding this a D+/1.5 star rating. But if I were to use my little brother, Adam Anzalone, as a barometer ... what with the Florida setting, lots of fishing, cute owls, kids his age telling/doing cheap tricks & jokes, I reckon he'd give this an A.