My Review of Over the Hedge · 10:47pm Sep 3rd, 2023

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

Greetings, folks! This is Mr. J back with another movie review for today. This evening, I will be reviewing DreamWorks’ “Over the Hedge” from 2006. This was one of my favorite animated DreamWorks movies as a kid, and I still cherish it to this very day. In some capacity, it’s a very special movie to me…in regards to its plot, characters, and setting. I doubt future animated films will ever tackle this premise again because this film does it perfectly.

This is about a lonely raccoon who gets himself into hot water with a short-tempered bear. After accidentally destroying the human food he acquired, RJ is forced to bring back the exact same food to Vincent within one week. Thus, he encounters a family of multiple critters to con them into helping him. But will he see the good in having a family or will he sacrifice them for his own safety?

Now, I have to admit that the casting thereof was a little insane. I mean, you have Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Thomas Haden Church, and Wanda Sykes in the same movie?! That’s crazy! But that aside, they and the other actors did a pretty good job in all their respective vocal performances.

I especially liked the characters of RJ, Verne, Hammy, and Stella. RJ had a ton of charm and charisma besides having a vulnerable side; Verne was confident, strong, yet stubborn. Despite their shortcomings, he and RJ came a long way in developing a strong connection with each other; Hammy is just…Steve Carell high on caffeine. Gotta love him; Stella is wonderful in every way, thanks to Wanda Sykes’ voice acting. I will never get tired of hearing her iconic voice.

The story may be a little clichéd-ridden and somewhat predictable, but it was still interesting enough to get me engaged every time I watch it. It shows us why RJ deceived our main characters, gives him extra layers of his personality, and we get all that without having a flashback! In my opinion, the writers were spot-on in giving us a good story.

As for the antagonists, they were pretty good as well. Vincent was pretty scary when it comes to his ferocious attitude and behavior; Gladys Sharp was 100% a certified Karen and probably the only Karen in existence I would ever tolerate; Dwayne, despite his little screen time, was really fun to watch. I loved his over-the-top personality and how he displayed his sadistic pleasure in hunting down pests and critters.

The animation still looks good, even today in my opinion. The soundtrack is likewise enjoyable to listen to and is so catchy the often you do so.

What this film shows us is that family is all about honesty, trustworthiness, and love. When communication and honesty work together, it will produce great results. And that’s something even the ending briefly mentioned. I find it funny how they acknowledged that if they communicated better, then none of this would have happened. And if they did that, then we wouldn’t have a movie. Huh, isn’t that something?

Overall, I consider this to be one of the most underrated animated movies of all time. I give this a 10/10. I highly recommend this to those of you who haven’t seen it yet. You’ll find it both hilarious and entertaining.

Peace!