April Movie #2: Hop

Starring: James Marsden, Kaley Cuoco, Gary Cole, Russell Brand (voice), Hank Azaria (voice), and Hugh Laurie (voice)
Directed By: Tim Hill
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Hop is about the Easter Bunny's (voiced by Laurie) son E.B (voiced by Brand) who runs away from his responsibilities as the next Easter bunny. He heads to Hollywood to make it big as a drummer. There he runs into Fred (played by Marsden)... or rather, Fred runs to E.B... with his car. E.B. convinces Fred to take care of him and soon their lives intertwine.

I saw this movie with Dawn, Joel, and Benjamin! This was my first movie with Benjamin and I must say I did quite well. No poking, no talking, and no hogging the popcorn. Benjamin did quite well, too, although he slept through the first half (no commentary on the movie there). He managed to figure out the plot and keep up with the movie. Such a bright little 15 month old.

Ya know, if my rabbit Rufus could poop candy, I think Baloo the fat cat would be his best friend. I'm just saying... Sorry. Strayed from the review. There are some fun little scenes like that (where the Easter Bunny poops jellybeans) that add whimsy to this movie.

When I first saw the previews for this movie, I thought it was a joke. It was being released on April 1st afterall. I really did think it wasn't a real movie. And then I saw it as a trailer on the DVD for Despicable Me and I realized it was a real movie. And then I thought to myself, "Wow. They'll make anything into a movie, won't they?" I did not think I would see it. It seemed too laughable. But when a 15 month old baby calls you up and tells you that you're taking him to this movie, you see it.  When we walked out of the theater (after dancing to all the credit music), I actually said out loud - "I rather liked it. It was much better than I ever thought it would be." Hop is funny (although it could stand to be funnier more often), sweet, and has a rather fun plot. It's well acted. I'm not a huge Russell Brand fan but I found his E.B. to be quite endearing and rather likable.

We did not see it in 3D (Benjamin didn't think the glasses would make him look "cool") and I really didn't notice anything that should be better in 3D until almost the end (the Pink Beret rabbits getting doused in chocolate; the Easter airplane crashing; perhaps travelling through the Rabbit Hole). The regular version is just fine.

I think Benjamin enjoyed the animated animal scenes better than the strictly human scenes. I was surprised at how many strictly human scenes there were. The animal scenes were funnier, brighter, and definitely more enjoyable. Who doesn't like to see a jellybean waterfall? The candy factory was visually captivating, almost Willy Wonka-ish but less mesmerizing and more merry. The human scenes made the movie more real. It brought the plot closer to home. I liked how the saga hanging over the two species (rabbit and human) mirrored the other's plight. The human scenes worked well. The animal scenes worked well. Once Fred dealt with the notion of a talking bunny, the animal/human scenes worked well. The movie gelled.

So... I liked this movie. I didn't love it but it did surprise me at how well done it was. It was actually quite good. Perhaps my assessment of the movie improved because I saw it with the right people. Who knows? I just know that I was pleasantly surprised with how non-hokey the movie was. I might even own it when it gets released on DVD. I'll say it serves as a memento of the first movie I saw with Benjamin but I might actually secretly watch it from time to time without him.

Oh, and a great tip we received from a member of the movie theater's cleaning crew: Stay through the credits for a little extra laugh. The credits are long (but filled with great music to dance to) but that little snippet was funny. It really brought the movie full circle. Two thumbs up from me and Benjamin adds his "En goo!" of endorsement.