SHARK TALE
by Jane Louise Boursaw
Rated PG (for
mild language and crude humor). 94 minutes. Ok for kids 7 and up.
Directed by Eric Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, and Rob Letterman. DVD released
Feb. 1, 2005.
The hero of this
story is Oscar (Will Smith), a fast-talking hustler fish who dreams of
the lush life but can barely hang onto his job at the Whale Wash, a mob
front run by Sykes (Martin Scorsese). Oscar is deep in debt to Sykes,
who assigns a couple of Rastafarian enforcers (Ziggy Marley and Doug E.
Doug) to take Oscar on a “little trip”.
Meanwhile, Don Lino
(Robert De Niro) is a ruthless mob ruler with two sons: Frankie (Michael
Imperioli) is a shark any mob-dad would be proud of, but his brother,
Lenny (Jack Black) has disgraced the family by becoming a vegetarian. He
even holds an intervention one night at dinner and sets an entire shrimp
cocktail free.
When
Don Lino orders Frankie to take Lenny on a swim-about and teach him a
few life lessons, they cross paths with Oscar and the Rastafarians. A
falling anchor accidentally kills Frankie, and Oscar gets the credit,
making him a local hero, since the reef lives in terror of the sharks.
Will Oscar’s head
get too big for his long-time girlfriend, Angie (Renee Zellweger)? Will
he be seduced by the charms of the amorous Lola (Angelina Jolie)? Only
time will tell, but rest assured that local anchorfish, Katie Current
(Katie Couric), will be on top of it all.
WHAT I LIKED:
This is a fun, colorful movie with a creative storyline and lots of puns
and sight-gags. Someone put a lot of thought into the underwater
metropolis, i.e. “prawn” shops, “swim/don’t swim” signs at the
crosswalks, and “Gup” clothing stores. Too funny.
I loved seeing the
fish characters drawn like their real-life counterparts – Will Smith’s
big ears, Angelina Jolie’s lips, and Martin Scorsese’s bushy eyebrows.
This movie also has a funky soundtrack that includes Justin Timberlake,
Mary J. Blige, and Ziggy Marley. A high point for me was “Car Wash”,
sung by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot.
WHAT I DIDN’T
LIKE: Since “Shark Tale” is a parody of “The Godfather” and also
includes references to movies like “Scarface” and “Jaws,” you have to
wonder if it’s good material for little kids. Also, most of the
characters are grown-ups with grown-up problems -- money and romance
woes, for instance – so kids may not “get” all of that.
While the best
kid-movies are those that contain something for all ages, I think with
an animated movie like this, it’s better to sway more to the kids’ side.
THE WRAP-UP:
A fun movie for kids and adults. Very young children will like the
colorful characters, but may not understand all the references.
SCORE:
3 out of 4 Reels.
DVD EXTRAS:
Rough Waters (tech
goofs), Star Fish (Meet the Cast), Commentary, The Music of Shark Tale,
Fishified World Featurette, Club Oscar Music Video, DVD ROM Activities.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel – Pathetic.
Even The Force can’t save it.
Two Reels –
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels –
Pleasant. Something to talk about.
Four Reels – Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
Read my other reviews
here.
