The now-traditional mix of adult wit and kiddie laughs  although less sharp than usual (but still very funny)

Rating: Null/10 (30 September 2003)

Scarred by the loss of his wife and eggs, Marlin has over sheltered his only child, Nemo. However when Nemo's first day at school comes about, that mothering leads Nemo to swim out to the open ocean where he is caught by a scuba diver and be put in a fish tank far away. Enlisting help from the forgetful Dory, Marlin tracks the boat and his ocean adventure begins.
Now as much as a tradition as national holidays, the latest Pixar animation arrives in the UK on a wave (d'oh!) of hype and marketing. Officially the biggest summer film in the US and all over buses and Happy Meals (which seems a little perverse when you think about it) it is hard not to want to see it or prevent your kids from demanding they see it. Happily the well establish benchmark of being kiddie friendly but fun for adults is maintained and the film does exactly what you know it will. The plot is a little like Toy Story's quest but is fleshed out enough to be interesting and the themes of `letting go' and loss are actually quite well handled and will speak more to adults than kids.
The slight problem with the film is that is does do just what you expect and the `animated film with adult wit and kiddie characters' stuff is hardly cutting edge anymore. However this is a picky flaw as it is still very good fun. It may not be the strongest of this genre, indeed some bits flag and the sentimental core, while a break from cruel humour or sarcasm, does then to slow things down a bit at times.
The adult references are all good but not as frequent as I'd have liked  they seem to be separate from the main flow where I wanted them integral with all of it. Clever homage's to Jaws (Bruce was the pet name of the rubber shark) and The Birds are distracting and make you feel good about yourself, and the banter is mostly witty if lacking a real sharpness at times.
The voice cast are all good are quite an all star bunch. Brooks does a workmanlike job in the lead  it must be said I didn't think he distinguished himself but then he did have to carry the moral weight of the film. DeGeneres is much better and her dippy character is a delight at times. The support cast is not as deep and fun as in other films  Janney and Dafoe are both fun in the tank (as are all the tank characters) it's just that none of them are really consistent. My favourite characters were the one word seagulls  `mine?'
Overall I have been unfair to this film in my review. If I saw this in isolation I would be praising it to the roof, however using the others as a benchmark this does have a few weaknesses that show signs of wear and tear in the genre. Not to cancel everything I have said, these weaknesses are all things that I realised after I had watched it  while I was watching it I was too busy laughing! Biggest downside for me though  no comedy outtakes, booooooo!