A zany summer tribute to the state of Suburbia.

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2006)

The average American eats about 8 to 10 times a day.
RJ (Bruce Willis), a raccoon, knows this all to well. So does his... acquaintance, a large grizzly named Vincent (Nick Nolte). Vincent has made a career of raiding the finest vending machines and stockrooms, gathering up a veritable, preservative-rich feast, which will be waiting for him when he emerges from hibernation.
That is, it would have been, if RJ hadn't raided the cave.
When the clever coon accidentally destroys Vincent's treasure trove, the bear gives him until the next full moon to serve up a complete, exact replacement, or DIE.
Meanwhile, Vern the Turtle (Garry Shandling) has food on his mind as well--he and his varied family, Stella the Skunk (Wanda Sykes), father & daughter opossums Ozzie (William Shatner) and Heather (Avril Lavigne), a porcupine brood headed by Lou & Penny (Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara--fresh from Mitch & Mickey), and light-speed-but-slightly-off squirrel Hammie (Steve Carell) must find a way to fill their storage log with food before the season ends. Foraging is more of a challenge, however, when a huge hedge surrounds your home. On the other side, all around them, exists the tragedy of a housing development, brought on by career woman Gladys (Allison Janney). When starvation seems imminent, RJ steps in to introduce the virtues of having humans move in next door, especially the wealth of processed carbohydrates available. At the same time, he sees them as a way to pay off Vincent. RJ's plans expose the critters to the human public too often, however, prompting Gladys to call in animal control specialist Dwayne (Thomas Haden Church).
The family wants the food, Gladys wants to eliminate the family, Dwayne wants to do the eliminating, Vern wants none of it, and RJ just wants to see the next season. Let the games begin.
The tone of this movie? Take a set-up similar to the Secret of NIMH, replace the magic and philosophy with high cholesterol and lawn ornaments, swap out the rats and mice for Looney Tunes, and have Tex Avery direct the thing. It's that crazy--and that enjoyable.
Just about everyone should enjoy this one (everyone except nature doctors)--there's plenty of energy to hold your kids' interest, and you may find yourself chuckling aplenty at the rapid-fire gags and one-liners. Don't expect a lot of self-serving movie quotes or tie-ins, though; the Dreamworks crew has now turned a corner. The closest they come to that is Hammie suggesting that the hedge be named Steve (as in Carrell?). "That's a nice name!" This is a clear deviation for Willis, and he wisely treats the role of RJ as such. He's crafty, somewhat dishonest, and is always up for a good time. (Hmmm...actually, sounds something like Hudson Hawk, but we don't need to dwell on that.) Everyone else is brilliantly cast as well--Allison Janney voices Gladys with Cruella De Vil-type abandon, Steve Carrell employs auctioneer-level dialogue in the role of Hammie, and, well, to combine charm with general inertia, you just can't beat Shandling. It's not all laughs, however. The family helps RJ appreciate what a family really is, and RJ makes sure their lives will never be boring again.
I read the comic strip this film is based on regularly until the local paper stopped carrying it. Grrr. My hope is for this movie to have the success it deserves, so that, if nothing else, they'll start running it again!