A rotten fish tale
It’s inevitable that Shark Tale, the latest animated effort from DreamWorks
Animation, will be compared to Finding Nemo. The biggest-grossing animated
film to date, until DreamWorks’ own Shrek 2 came along, Nemo was
fresh and funny, sporting a grand tale of adventure coupled with a heartwarming
story of familial love and devotion. Given that success, it’s easy to see why
directors Bibo Bergeron, Vicky Jenson, and Rob Letterman would want to jump
into the pool with their own undersea effort, borrowing the locale yet fashioning
a distinctive tale of their own.
However, they should have also sponged a bit of Nemo’s wit and ability
to create distinctive characters rather than simply animated counterparts of
the celebrities whose voices bring them to life. Shark Tale is everything
Finding Nemo is not. It’s unimaginative and obvious, features a plot
that longs to be complex but is simply ridiculous, and — in what should be the
kiss of death, especially for a kids’ film — is dull and repetitious.
Will Smith provides the voice of Oscar, a fast-talking fish who has dreams
of escaping his dead-end job of tongue-scrubber at the local Whale Wash and
living at the top of the reef. He gets his chance when a series of bizarre circumstances
makes it appear as though he’s killed Frankie (Michael Imperioli), a great white
shark who happens to be the son of local mob boss Don Lino (Robert De Niro).
Nothing could be further from the truth, but Oscar milks this opportunity for
all it’s worth, becoming famous throughout the reef and rich beyond his wildest
dreams. However, things start to unravel when Frankie’s brother Lenny (Jack
Black) shows up. A vegetarian who can never live up to his father’s expectations,
Lenny threatens to reveal the truth behind Oscar’s ruse unless Oscar helps him
go into hiding. Needless to say, complications ensue.
The laughs are few and far between as the film’s four writers make the mistake
of thinking that the many allusions to other, far better films they cram in
here are a worthy substitute for genuine humor. Some nods — to Jaws,
The Godfather, and Titanic — are obvious, but other references
— particularly one from Jerry Maguire, included in deference to Renée
Zellweger, who is heard as Angie, an angelfish who secretly pines for Oscar
— stick out like a sore thumb.
The voice talent does a fine job of bringing a sense of enthusiasm to the
parts, particularly Martin Scorsese an easily frustrated puffer fish and Angelina
Jolie as Lola, a dragonfish femme fatale. However, in the end, Tale is
as flat as its players are energetic. To say otherwise would simply be another
fish story.
Also in theaters this week. . .
Alien vs. Predator [PG-13] This pairing of 20th Century-Fox alien-creature
franchises has been threatened for years, but there is no direct link to either
series. Lance Henriksen stars as an industrialist who uncovers both races during
an archaeological dig in Antarctica. White Oaks
Cellular [PG-13] A young man (Chris Evans) gets a call from a woman
(Kim Basinger) who claims she was kidnapped, fears she’ll be killed, and doesn’t
know where she is. And his battery may die! ShowPlace West
A Cinderella Story [PG] Routinely mistreated by her stepmother, Sam
Martin (Hilary Duff) looks forward to meeting her Internet beau at a Halloween
dance. White Oaks
The Door in the Floor [R]The once-great marriage of famous
children’s book author Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) and his beautiful wife Marion
(Kim Basinger) is strained by tragedy. She’s despondent; he cheats. Then they
hire a young man who transforms their lives. Parkway Pointe
Festival Express [R]Rock & roll flick from 1970, filmed
an across-Canada train trip of Janis Joplin, the Band, the Grateful Dead, and
other bands.Parkway Pointe
First Daughter [PG] The president (Michael Keaton) accedes to his daughter’s
request to attend college without Secret Service protection. On the sly, he
assigns an agent. Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace East
The Forgotten [PG-13] When a single mother (Julianne Moore) loses her
8-year-old son in an airplane crash, she seeks out psychiatric help in order
to cope with her grief. Instead, she’s told her son never existed. ShowPlace
West, ShowPlace East
Hero [PG-13] Zhang Yimou’s award-winning and Oscar-nominated period
epic stars Jet Li as an assassin who seeks revenge against the emperor who murdered
his family. ShowPlace West
I, Robot [PG-13] Set in the year 2035, Chicago police detective Del
Spooner (Will Smith) investigates a murder that may have been committed by a
robot. White Oaks
Ladder 49 [PG-13] A firefighter, trapped in a fire that’s likely to
kill him, reviews his life. Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta star. Parkway
Pointe, ShowPlace East
The Manchurian Candidate [R] A political thriller about a soldier
(Denzel Washington) who was captured by the enemy in the Korean War (this time
it’s the Gulf War) and brainwashed to be used later as a pawn. Parkway Pointe
Mr. 3000 [PG-13] A retired baseball star, nicknamed “Mr. 3000,” who
finds out he didn’t quite reach 3,000 hits. At age 47, he tries to reach that
goal. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Napoleon Dynamite [PG] The title character is an odd Idaho teenager
whose great loves are dancing and the ways of the ninja. Parkway Pointe
The Notebook [PG-13]Two young lovers from different backgrounds
are separated when the U.S. enters World War II. Seven years later, she is engaged
to a soldier when she discovers the whereabouts of her first true love.Parkway
Pointe
Resident Evil: Apocalypse [R] Alice (Milla Jovovich) must escape from
a city of the dead before the killer Nemesis gets her. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace
East
Shrek 2 [PG] Princess Fiona’s parents invite her and Shrek to dinner
to celebrate her marriage, not realizing that the newlyweds are green ogres.
White Oaks
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow [PG] The world’s top scientists
start disappearing as giant flying robots descend on New York City in 1939.
Reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) teams up with ace pilot Joe “Sky Captain”
Sullivan (Jude Law) to stop the mad man behind this calamity. ShowPlace West,
ShowPlace East
Wimbledon [PG-13] A pro tennis player [Paul Bettany] meets a young
player on the women’s circuit [Kristen Dunst] who helps him regain his focus
for Wimbleton. ShowPlace West
This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 6, 2004.
