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After
seeing this and "Shrek"
I've restored my faith in animated features. I admit, beforehand
I kept a pretty close mind when it came to "cartoons."
If it wasn't live action, I didn't even want to bother renting it
on video. "Osmosis Jones" is so much fun that you
forget to realize it's a "kiddie movie." It's one
of those family films I can (honestly!) say is just as much--if not
more--fun for adults as it is for children.
Ninety-percent of the film is animated. The other ten-percent is
live action and directed by the comedy aficionados, Peter and Bobby
Farrelly. That explains the presence of "Kingpin"
alumni Bill Murray and Chris Elliott. Some of the gags--
involving things like snot, vomiting and pimple-popping--were
unnecessary and crude and...just plain disgusting. Though the
crudeness is kept to a PG-level, the Farrellys always feel the need to
push the scatological envelope. But they also have a great sense
of comic timing and delivery, and like in their previous efforts, the
comedy often gels.
I've
also restored my faith in Chris Rock, as far as taking on any project
below an R-rating. I think he's a great, multi-talented
comedian, but I assumed he was a fish out of water when he loses the
opportunity to use the "f" word in every sentence.
After seeing his amazingly boring (PG-13 comedy) "Down to
Earth" who wouldn't feel the same way? Well, he is very
amusing as Osmosis Jones, the tough-as-nails cop sent to fight the
"deadly" new virus (Laurence Fishburne). He's assisted
by Drix (David Hyde-Pierce), the pill who can supposedly eradicate
this virus. William Shatner is amusing as the Mayor of Frank's
(Murray) body and Brandy Norwood is the Mayor's secretary, who has the
hots for Jones.
"OJ"
is the kind of movie that should be shown in the EPCOT Center in Disney
World. It's not only funny and entertaining, but it's
educational (and not boring, how often does that happen?). There
are some great in-jokes for the adults, and the kids will come out of
the theater happy and much more knowledgeable about the human body.
So skip that superficial fluff "The
Princess Diaries" and bring your children to a fun movie (for
all ages) where they can actually learn something. Can you ask
for a lot more? I didn't think so. Why are the box office
results so poor? Who knows? Just make sure you catch this
one in theaters really fast, for you probably won't see this movie on
the Marquis by next week!
-- Matt
( 3 out of 4 pops )
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