It was the Oscar for "Finding Nemo", and Finding Money for Oscar...

Rating: 7/10 (8 June 2016)

Whatever the differences between Disney's Pixar and DreamWorks Studios are in terms of animation and types of stories, I don't think they have been more opposite as when they were fully expressed by the two rival studios when they coincidentally decided to handle the aquatic world, in a one-year interval: "Finding Nemo" in 2003 and "Shark Tale" in 2004. If it is a coincidence or a case of some 'leaks' (no pun intended) doesn't really matter as the two films don't navigate in the same seas.
Starting with Disney, "Finding Nemo" was a charming and heart-warming tale about a father fish looking for his missing (and titular) son, while the son was trying to escape from a fish tank. The story featured some of the most dazzling images ever created by Disney Studios, with the same hypnotic beauty as "The Little Mermaid" and a story that emotionally resonated like Disney's old-school movies, such as "Dumbo' or "Bambi". For a film made In 2003, to be listed in the American Film Institute's Top 10 Animated movies proved the impression the movie left among the professionals.
On the other hand, DreamWorks has always been about very flawed and loose characters engaged into story lines that worked more as vehicles for countless pop- culture references, remember the "Shrek vs. Robin Hood" fight with the whole River Dance and the "Matrix" parody, or the fairy tale creatures featured in very modern situation? Well, the counterpart of "Finding Nemo", titled "Shark Tale" isn't much a story set in the Ocean than all the narrative fragments of other classics reassembled to form a seemingly story. It doesn't strike for its originality ("Shrek" made the AFI's Top 10, not this one) but the creators seem to have built the fun on our recognition of the many movies or pop-cultures elements they refer to.
Indeed, there is no situation that is not archetypal, no character-type you haven't seen before. In fact, even the characters look exactly like the actors voicing them. So, if you don't have Scorsese's voice in mind, (which would be surprising) you might recognize his fishy alter-ego from his huge bushy eyebrows just like De Niro's shark has a mole, and Jolie's fish huge sensual lips. That's it, it's déjà vu from beginning to end, even the title is a take on De Niro's father-and-son movie "A Bronx Tale". But guess what? the story works nonetheless and this is why I'm surprised by Roger Ebert's review, or personal take on the film.
The late critic, who could be wrong but not very often, deplored that "Shark Tale" with all its references to classics like "The Godfather", "Goodfellas", "Scarface" and of course "Jaws" (the inevitable one, even parodied in "Nemo" and that grabbed the earlier laughs in that one), there's nothing left for the usual universal and simpler material that can appeal to children. And he's right. I'm pretty sure that if I was 10 when I saw "Shark Tale", I wouldn't have gotten most of the references, and I would have probably enjoyed like I enjoyed 'Fish Police'. However, I was 22 when the film was released, so I guess I was in the right demographic target.
Indeed, my cinematic education, if not complete, was mature enough to get most of the jokes, to instantly recognize De Niro behind Don Lino's mimics and having "The Godfather" as my all-time favorite increased the enjoyment. Gee, I was even a fan of "Car Wash" at that time so I didn't miss any reference. And how could I? "Shark Tale" is one pop-culture reference after another, it almost becomes a gimmick. And I understand that for some viewers, it might get tiresome, once you have played the spot-the-star game and managed to guess Jack Black or Renee Zelwegger; you want the story to grab you a little, and it does, sort of.
There are basically two plots: Oscar, a whale washer, is a nobody trying to be somebody with a sort of end-justifying-the-means way, ignoring the cute assistant in love with him, and there is Lenny, the vegetarian shark who disappoints his Godfather- like father, Don Lino. The two plots get intertwined with a share of unevenly predictable twists, but let's not kid ourselves, the whole story is rather predictable, countless mafia parodies have been made, including "Analyze This" a few years before, but the script overcomes the predictable stuff by providing some nice one- liners and funny moments, and such lousy puns they miraculously work.
The whole thing leads to the kind of conclusion that comforts that this was not a film to take seriously in the first place, it's meant to be fun. Now, to get back to Ebert's comment, yes, he's right that the film doesn't find the right touch to appeal children, and on that level, it would be an average film. But once you get the idea that this is not a film for kids, but for adults young adults or adults adults, its quality suddenly improves. It's all a matter of angle.
And at least, it didn't try to emulate "Finding Nemo", and had instead a sleazier "Finding Money" story line (and I'm sorry for the lousiness of this pun).