Good Fun For Kids And Adults Alike

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2008)

A fun story and good animation make this feature a movie that the whole family can enjoy together. There's nothing particularly deep or original about it, true, but to expect that would be to miss the point of the movie: it's intended largely for kids, who don't really care about depth or originality - they just want to have fun with it, and for parents who just want to be able to watch a fun movie with their kids. On those notes, the movie scores quite well. The characters are fun, and to the extent that one can talk about "performances" in an animated movie, both Robert Deniro (as the shark "Don Lino") and Will Smith (as the Shark Slayer "Oscar") put on good ones.
Essentially, Oscar - a tiny fish who works as a tongue scrubber at the local whale wash - is mistakenly identified as the killer of a great white shark (Lino's son). From that point on, Oscar relishes his newfound celebrity, but finds out that his fame comes with a price (he now has to be the defender of the reef against all sharks, and he has to deal with Lino's desire for revenge against the guy who he thinks took out his son.) Oscar teams up with Lenny (Jack Black), Lino's other son, who happens to be a gentle, vegetarian shark who's something of an embarrassment to his tough dad. (This, and Lenny's decision to dress up like a dolphin, lead to some limited social commentary about the importance of accepting those who are "different" - which seems to be a message to parents with gay kids, frankly. Adults would get that social commentary; most kids wouldn't.) Eventually, through his adventures, Oscar discovers the value of honesty and Lino comes to understand the importance of accepting people (or fish) as they are.
Some of the references in the movie (especially the repeated allusions to "Jaws" and "The Godfather") are going to be over the heads of the kids watching and, in all honesty, the story - while fun - isn't going to rival either of those movies, either, but what makes this movie work is the ability for parents and children to enjoy it together. It might not be the best movie either have ever seen, but it has enough for both to make it enjoyable. Other featured voices include Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Katie Couric and Martin Scorsese. 7/10