BEFORE: And now back to my regularly-scheduled insipid kiddie animation flicks. I've almost got the category wiped out. I know Easter's not for another month or so, but I'm following the thread, and I'll probably be following a different one when Easter is really here. It's frickin' cold in New York, can you blame me for thinking about a spring holiday?
Linking's back on - Gerard Depardieu from "Life of Pi" was also in "The Man in the Iron Mask" with Hugh Laurie (last heard in "Stuart Little 3" - damn, why didn't I catch that connection and watch the two films back-to-back?)
THE PLOT: E.B., the Easter Bunny's teenage son, heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In LA, he's taken in by Fred after the out-of-work slacker hits E.B. with his car.
AFTER: This film opens on Easter Island, which as we all know is the place where Easter bunnies live and work, kind of like their version of Santa's workshop at the North Pole. So connecting from "Life of Pi", at least we start in an exotic locale. Plus last night's film was about religion (I think...) and Easter is a religious thing, or so I'm told.
But Really? We didn't have enough backstory on the Easter Bunny, so let's just transfer everything over from Santa Claus, including a sleigh pulled by baby chicks? Seems a bit of a stretch. And why do all these characters - Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny - come to kids in the middle of the night? Is there something hinky about all of this, or is it just me? Maybe I should have sat on this one and waited for "Rise of the Guardians" for some more insight.
Speaking of which, I know my animation category is going to start filling up again. I missed out on seeing the nominees "Brave", "Frankenweenie" and "Wreck-It Ralph", so I'm just going to have to play catch-up again later on. Same with "The Lorax", "Madagascar 3", "Ice Age: Continental Drift" - Heck, I'm still waiting on "Rango" from the year before, it hasn't aired yet.
But back to the bunny, who's another of those mess-making houseguests, like The Cat in the Hat or the Chipmunks - only he's wrecking a very fancy mansion, where our hero Fred is staying. Once Fred gets over the initial shock of encountering a talking bunny, he proposes a life-swap, where E.B. becomes the drummer/slacker he wants to be, and Fred gets to deliver Easter baskets.
NITPICK POINT: Why would a slacker suddenly be inspired to work as the Easter Bunny, when he's never wanted to work that hard at anything ever before? His connection to Easter as a concept seemed a little forced, it's not enough for him to completely change overnight when given the opportunity.
NITPICK POINT #2: How did Fred's (adopted) sister get the lead role in the Easter play? She had said that she got the part due to her strong voice, but then she's horribly off-key? So how was she cast? And more to the point, why do I even care?
Ready now, sing along (to the tune of "I Want Candy"):
I saw a film that's kind of lame (Boom boom boom, chick boom)
Hollywood mediocrity's really to blame (Boom boom boom, chick boom)
Fred's a guy who meets the Easter Bunny (Boom boom boom, chick boom)
Too bad they forgot to make the jokes funny. (Boom boom boom, chick boom)
Also starring James Marsden (last heard in "Cats & Dogs: the Revenge of Kitty Galore"), Gary Cole (last seen in "One Hour Photo"), Elizabeth Perkins (last seen in "Cats & Dogs"), Kaley Cuoco, and the voices of Russell Brand (last seen in "Get Him to the Greek"), Hank Azaria (last heard in "Anastasia"), and cameos from Chelsea Handler, David Hasselhoff (last seen in "Dear God").
RATING: 3 out of 10 jellybeans
People eat jelly beans, unaware that the pellets are Easter Bunny s***. I saw this in the trailer and concluded that the filmmaker's vision of Entertainment an mine were not compatible.
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