Monster House
3/4
Starring (voices): Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Kevin James
Rated PG for Scary Images and Sequences, Thematic Elements, Some Crude Humor and Brief Language
If Steven Spielberg transformed Stephen King's horror classic "IT" into a family movie, it might look something like this. It's understandable, since he (along with Robert Zemeckis) is credited as an executive producer. "Monster House" pays attention to what it's like being on the cusp of puberty; trick-or-treating is getting old and so is having to be babysat, and the hormones are just starting to get active.
DJ (Musso) is a young kid who is convinced that there's something strange going on across the street. Mean old Mr. Nebbercracker (Buscemi) is extremely territorial, and any toy that ends up on his lawn is as good as gone. This is the fate of his friend Chowder's (Lerner) new basketball. It ends up on Nebbercracker's lawn and when they go to fetch it, Nebbercracker storms out. While he's giving DJ the scolding of his life, the old man has a heart attack. DJ and Chowder are convinced that he died, so when DJ gets a phone call from Nebbercracker's house, he gets the fright of his life. Now, the two of them plus Jenny (Locke), a prep school student selling candy, investigate and realize that the house itself is alive.
What really sets this film apart is that director Gil Kenan takes time to really build the relationships between the characters. Both DJ and Chowder find Jenny attractive, but are unsure about how to react to it. This stuff rings true. Ditto for how DJ and his nasty babysitter Zee (Gyllenhaal) interact. It's refreshingly real, especially compared to many "family films."
Mitchel Musso (who sounds similar to Freddie Highmore), Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke are all solid in their roles. We like them and they're very believable. Zee, the nasty babysitter, is within Gyllenhaal's limited range, and Steve Buscemi makes for a great villain. Jason Lee and Jon Heder add some humor as Zee's rock star-wannabe boyfriend and a video game addict.
The problem with the film is that the performance capture technology used to animate the film is awful. The character movements are gangly and stiff; watching "Monster House" is like playing a video game on a computer that's not equipped for it.
There is fun to be had from this movie, although it comes more from nostalgia than laugh-aloud humor (of which there is some) and action (and there's some of that too). Kids will have fun and so will their parents. It's not as good as Spielberg's early work or the recent "Super 8," which "Monster House" shares more than a few similarities, but it's still good entertainment.
Starring (voices): Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, Kevin James
Rated PG for Scary Images and Sequences, Thematic Elements, Some Crude Humor and Brief Language
If Steven Spielberg transformed Stephen King's horror classic "IT" into a family movie, it might look something like this. It's understandable, since he (along with Robert Zemeckis) is credited as an executive producer. "Monster House" pays attention to what it's like being on the cusp of puberty; trick-or-treating is getting old and so is having to be babysat, and the hormones are just starting to get active.
DJ (Musso) is a young kid who is convinced that there's something strange going on across the street. Mean old Mr. Nebbercracker (Buscemi) is extremely territorial, and any toy that ends up on his lawn is as good as gone. This is the fate of his friend Chowder's (Lerner) new basketball. It ends up on Nebbercracker's lawn and when they go to fetch it, Nebbercracker storms out. While he's giving DJ the scolding of his life, the old man has a heart attack. DJ and Chowder are convinced that he died, so when DJ gets a phone call from Nebbercracker's house, he gets the fright of his life. Now, the two of them plus Jenny (Locke), a prep school student selling candy, investigate and realize that the house itself is alive.
What really sets this film apart is that director Gil Kenan takes time to really build the relationships between the characters. Both DJ and Chowder find Jenny attractive, but are unsure about how to react to it. This stuff rings true. Ditto for how DJ and his nasty babysitter Zee (Gyllenhaal) interact. It's refreshingly real, especially compared to many "family films."
Mitchel Musso (who sounds similar to Freddie Highmore), Sam Lerner, and Spencer Locke are all solid in their roles. We like them and they're very believable. Zee, the nasty babysitter, is within Gyllenhaal's limited range, and Steve Buscemi makes for a great villain. Jason Lee and Jon Heder add some humor as Zee's rock star-wannabe boyfriend and a video game addict.
The problem with the film is that the performance capture technology used to animate the film is awful. The character movements are gangly and stiff; watching "Monster House" is like playing a video game on a computer that's not equipped for it.
There is fun to be had from this movie, although it comes more from nostalgia than laugh-aloud humor (of which there is some) and action (and there's some of that too). Kids will have fun and so will their parents. It's not as good as Spielberg's early work or the recent "Super 8," which "Monster House" shares more than a few similarities, but it's still good entertainment.
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