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If there’s one thing I’ve seen a lot of lately, it’s kids’ movies. Well, kids’ movies and sports movies. And I’ve been pretty underwhelmed by kids’ movies lately. They just feel like the same old thing, over and over and over. And perhaps I’ve just seen so many really bad kids’ movies lately, leaving my expectations dreadfully low. But—despite the fact that Open Season, too, is pretty much the same old thing—I actually enjoyed the latest animated adventure from Sony (who, incidentally, were the makers of another one of the year’s better animated films, Monster House).
Boog the grizzly (Martin Lawrence) has a pretty good life. Rescued as a cub by a ranger named Beth (Debra Messing), Boog has his own home set up in Beth’s garage—complete with his own bed, his own bathroom, and his very own stuffed animal to cuddle with at night. And all he has to do to earn his keep is perform as the star of his own little stage show.
One day, though, everything changes. Boog meets Elliot (Ashton Kutcher), a buck who’s been captured by Shaw (Gary Sinise), the forest’s most notorious hunter. Boog helps Elliot escape, and Elliot decides to return the favor by breaking Boog out of his garage. But their sugar-fueled adventure only manages to get Boog in trouble.
Finally, Beth admits that it’s time to let go—and let Boog back into the wild. But once he gets there, he wants nothing more than to get home. He’s got just a couple of days before hunting season starts—and he’s got to get home before he ends up as a rug on Shaw’s floor.
Sure, the whole domesticated animal vs. The Wild thing is just like Madagascar and The Wild. But I didn’t exactly love either of them. And, okay, so Open Season is pretty much a revised version of Shrek—with a grizzly and an annoying buck instead of an ogre and an annoying donkey. But I’ll admit that I wasn’t sold on Shrek as much as most people were—and Open Season, on the other hand, managed to get me caught up in the story and giggling in my seat. The characters, while similar to those we’ve all seen before, are likeable (though Kutcher tends to be a little irritating at times). And the smaller parts, like the ever-present rabbits or (especially) the militant, nut-throwing squirrels, led by old McSquizzy (Billy Connolly) make the movie. Even the story, while far from unique, is entertaining—and often just downright hilarious.
At the same time, though, Open Season is definitely not a Disney movie. It’s pretty violent and gruesome at times. Shaw alone makes the movie just a little bit terrifying. So it might scare young kids—and it may give older kids a bit of a violent streak for a few days—but probably not much more than, say, Tom and Jerry. Overall, Open Season may be more of the same, but at least it manages to make the same old thing fun again.
If you have the opportunity and spare funds, be sure to see it in 3D at your local IMAX theater. The glasses and the effects just add to the fun.
