I could not believe the cast they got
for this movie when I saw the trailer
Bruce Willis William Shatner Steve
Carell Garry Shandling Wanda Sykes
Catherine O'Hara Thomas Haden Church
these people are all comedy gold
so naturally I got really really excited
to see the film in the Yaak acid it had
a few jokes that worked in a couple
likable characters but yeah this was
really kind of bad what's the story a
raccoon
played by Bruce Willis accidentally
destroys all the food that was belonging
to a bear played by Nick Nolte the
raccoon swears he can get all the food
back for his hibernation in exchange for
his life the bear agrees and the raccoon
comes across a group of wild animals who
have just discovered a hedge and over
the hedge suburbia the raccoon informs
them that suburbia is full of food all
sorts of food practically gift-wrapped
for them so the animals agree to go and
collect as much food as possible unaware
that the raccoon is actually saving him
for himself that is to say a bear not
only do we have to go through the live
revealed story again which as you know I
really despise but I'll give you
an example about why a lot of these
jokes don't work take for example when
the raccoon is first introducing them to
opening up chips
okay here's why this joke doesn't work
first of all they use it again now there
it works because that's something
negative happening to them and it's so
large that when you back off and show
the planet and show the impact it's
having it's showing how much misery it's
spreading that's why that joke works but
if you're just opening a cheese snack
and if anything is just supposed to be
something good why would showing it from
earth matter
there's no misery involved so there's
not really any point in emphasizing it
at least not to that degree and so much
of the rest of the story is just
building up character traits that are
just gonna come into the story later and
not really make us laugh they're just
playing into the story the story we
already know because you set it up in
the beginning and we know exactly what's
gonna happen
none of the celebrities really lend much
to the characters I don't know if they
weren't allowed to or maybe it wasn't a
good script or I don't know but their
talent surprisingly don't bring anything
William Shatner is a possum who has to
pretend to die all the time I guess when
you think about it that could be pretty
funny because we know what a hammy actor
he is but if it's animated and we're not
really seeing shatner yeah you kind of
realize why this joke wouldn't work
Wanda Sykes is a skunk who has to be
made to look pretty later on again if
you're not seeing Wanda Sykes that
doesn't really work either
I think the only one that really comes
through is Steve Carell as the squirrel
this really super crazy hyper squirrel
but even he doesn't get as many laughs
as the scripts should allow it's
aggravating because this is so much
funny people and yet so few funny
moments apart from the occasional joke
that gets a giggle the only time where
it actually really starts to pay off is
the ending it's a good setup once the
wires revealed he tries to redeem
himself by saving the day the animals
don't know this and so they're
constantly trying to throw him outside
of the car where the bad guy is
thank you yes yes Fred let me in let me
in no ring tailed charlatan and it's
leads to some pretty funny fiscal humor
but aside from that it's a snore fest
and a real disappointment this is good
animation too it's bright its colorful
you'd think it might be able to get a
little commentary in there I mean it was
starting to with the food stuff or even
lines like this I want to talk just
driving this could have been like a
great satire of suburbia or a great
animal point of view sort of film but
it's just dull predictable and like I
said before not that funny all of these
celebrities will go on to even bigger
and funnier stuff but I can tell you
right now this would definitely not be
in that lineup