Open Season

Rated PG for some rude humor, mild action and brief language.

Voices: Martin Lawrence as Boog, Ashton Kutcher as Elliot, Gary Sinise as Shaw, and Debra Messing as Beth.

Boog, a domesticated 900lb. Grizzly bear finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before Open Season. Forced to rely on Elliot, a fast-talking mule deer, the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag-tag army against the hunters.

This movie certainly did not meet my expectations. There was more good than bad, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good family fun movie. At any rate, I'm glad I didn't pay to see it in the theater.

There was a nice little plot about friendship and forgiveness. Since he was responsible for most of Boog's troubles, Elliot took on the responsibility of getting him home. He was, as usual, inept, and when Boog realized his friend had simply taken him in a huge circle, the pair had a falling out. At about that time, Shaw, the hunter who was after Elliot, spotted them, and trying to get to them he stupidly drove across the beaver dam, breaking it and flooding the valley, washing all the animals downstream. Crossing over a ridge, Boog sees that his home is just at the bottom of the hill, and is eager to get back to his warm, dry garage. He tells the other animals that were swept downstream and out of the safety of the mountains when the dam broke that they are not his problem. Then he sees the long line of hunters leaving town and realizes his friends are in real danger. Since he can't get safely home until open season is over anyhow, he rallies the other animals to fight back against the hunters. The final battle between man and nature is spectacular and hilarious.

Coming from a family of hunters, I took exception to the portrayal of the villain as an unethical lunatic who was more of a beast than the animals he hunted. Yes, there are jerks like Shaw out there, but the movie didn't represent the hundreds of thousands of hunters who do follow the rules. Yes, I know in a movie where the animals are the heroes, the villain is most likely going to be a hunter, but is it really necessary to only show the freaks with no scruples who kill just because they can? There are those families, like mine when I was growing up, where venison, rabbit, trout, and other game animals make up a large portion of the protein in the diet. When my dad and all four brothers had a good year hunting, we ate as much venison as we did beef. All I'm asking for is equal representation.

By far, Open Season's worst failing is it's limited appeal. Most of the gags and jokes seem to have been written by thirteen-year-old boys. While a lot of animated films rely on juvenile humor, many of them also manage to amuse adults as well with subtle satire and sarcasm that doesn't always reach the younger audiences. Shrek and Ice Age are two notable examples. The vast majority of jokes in Open Season rely on gross body functions, stereotypes, and body parts. For example, much is made of Boog's reluctance to do what most bears do naturally in the woods; he requires a toilet and privacy. While it isn't terribly crude or inappropriate, it isn't really a 'family' film either as most of the humor will only appeal to adolescent boys.

The ending, when Beth arrives to take Boog home only to realize that he has finally found his real home in the wild is sweet, touching, and sends the appropriate mesaage that, no matter how long they live among humans, wild animals are still wild.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Recommendation: Rent it for your twelve-year-old son's birthday, make a mess of popcorn, and let him watch it with his friends while you find something better to do with your time. You can always spend quality time with him later playing Monopoly or something.

3 Best Moments: 1. Mr. Weenie says, "I feel so aliiiiive!" 2. Psychotic beaver with delusions of grandeur gets hold of a chainsaw. 3. Every time McSquizzy's army appears.