The first few months of the year are considered a dumping
ground for studios who generally release subpar titles with very little
fanfare. The winter can also be slim pickings when it comes to family friendly
entertainment. In 2013, Dreamworks capitalized on the slow market with The Croods, a gorgeously animated
picture that went on to do over $587 million at the box office. There's no such
luck this year as parents would have to settle for taking their kids to see The Nut Job.
Set during the 1950's, The
Nut Job follows one Surly (Will Arnett), a misanthropic squirrel who only
looks out for himself. Surly's only friend is Buddy (Robert Tinkler), a rat who
looks like a grungy and emaciated version of Remy from Ratatouille. None of the other animals in picturesque Liberty Park like
him though Andie (Katherine Heigl) seems to be slightly sympathetic. Autumn is
nearly over, but the food supply is short for the coming winter. Andie and the
exceedingly heroic Grayson (Brendan Fraser) clash with Surly over the nuts from
a vendor cart. Their argument accidentally ignites the propane tank and burns
down the tree that everyone calls home. Under the stern leadership of Raccoon
(Liam Neeson), the animals vote to banish Surly from the park.
Surly and Buddy are left to fend for themselves in the big
city against pigeons and sewer rats. As luck would have it, they stumble upon a
nut store with a bountiful supply to feed them for ages to come. The store
happens to be the staging ground for a quartet of gangsters led by King
(Stephen Lang). Their plan is to tunnel into the nearby bank and replace all
the bags of money with sacks full of nuts so no one will notice the cash is missing.
Surly and the other park animals forge an uneasy alliance to gather the nuts
and avoid detection by the humans.
The Nut Job has a
clever premise with a bank heist concurrent to the cute critters pulling off
one of their own in the background. The filmmakers certainly aimed high by
attempting to imbue the manic energy of the classic Looney Tunes shorts with an allegory straight out of Animal Farm. However, the movie never
lives up to those lofty goals. The script suffers from the same lazy pitfalls
of other second-rate animated flicks, riddled with fart jokes and contrived pop
culture references. Angry Birds?
Seriously? Despite being a period piece, The
Nut Job prominently features the novelty hit "Gangnam Style." Its
familiar techno beats play over a celebratory sequence during the film and an
animated version of PSY pops up during the end credits for the requisite dance
party. Perhaps, it was included because Nut
Job was co-produced by a South Korean studio. In any event, the song's
popularity died out long before "Nut Job" saw the light of day and
was buried alongside other one-hit wonders like the Macarena and "Whoomp!
(There It Is)."
It also seems like the writers couldn't be bothered with
creating names for every character. Well, this squirrel is surly, so let's call
him Surly. What about his buddy? Buddy. And the raccoon and mole? Raccoon and
Mole. Job well done.
The Nut Job was
budgeted at $42.8 million, which is a fraction of what Pixar works with, but other
studios have done much better animation with not much more. Disney's knockoff Planes looks worlds better than Nut Job on a budget of $50, despite a
screenplay that was just as uninspired. The movie is certainly colorful, but
the designs and the movements appear to have been animated a decade ago.
If anyone was expecting the celebrity cast to bring some
sparkle to the proceedings, you will be disappointed. Aside from the baritone voices
of Will Arnett and Liam Neeson, none of them are recognizable and only Maya
Rudolph as an affectionate pug has any charm.
The concept of The Nut
Job is a bit similar to 2006's Over
the Hedge, which shared a co-writer in Lorne Cameron. None of the furry
fauna in either movie were all that memorable. Even the zany interludes of
Scrat from the Ice Age series were more fun. As Pixar has done
again and again, you can create an animated film with enough intelligence and
heart to appeal to adults and children alike. The Nut Job might win over the youngest of age, but it will make
others fall into an early hibernation.
Rating: * (*****)
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