It's fun enough

Rating: 7/10 (16 May 2011)

I honestly think that this is one of the Dreamworks Animation films that is nowhere near among their best. But it still is entertaining and fun.
Will Smith stars as the voice of Oscar, a fish who seems content with just working at a whale wash. He keeps coming up with these ideas to make a quick buck that never pan out. They cause him to owe a substantial amount of money to his boss, Mr. Sykes. However, we find out that he really wants more out of life.
When he has the money he owes ready to turn in, he ends up betting it instead. First, it causes a fish named Lola to be attracted to him. Then, the seahorse he bets on loses causing him to be tortured by Sykes's jellyfish assistants until some sharks come to attack him. One of them dies. The jellyfish think Oscar killed the shark. Oscar goes with their assumption.
This causes him to live a huge lie. In order for the other fish to not find out, he must conceal with the other shark, Lenny, voiced by Jack Black. However, Oscar's close friend Angie, voiced by Renée Zellweger, finds out about Oscar's and Lenny's act and also has to keep it a secret.
It's basically a fun story about a fish who keeps telling lie after lie in order to keep his reputation as the Shark Slayer. While it is not the best of Dreamworks, there is still some fun to it.
My likes: I thought it was cool how the city that the film takes place in looks like an underwater version of New York City. I thought it was cool how the animation was able to capture the look of Times Square and make it look like a city for fish. I also liked seeing the sharks as a representation of the mafia. It was a great fit seeing how dominant sharks are. I also thought the actors all fit the characters they were voicing, especially Robert De Niro as Don Lino.
My dislikes: I thought there were too many pop culture references. There were way too many lines and scenes that were referencing other films or related to modern culture. Most of the references will not be relevant 10, 20 years from now. The story drags at many times and throws off the pace of the film.