Politically correct, anatomically incorrect and ugly to look at, the only thing that saves Barnyard is writer (and director) Steve Oedekerk's gift for gags and almost-edgy humor.
Comment
08/04/06
Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (2006)
22
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:90
Fresh:20
Rotten:70
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Unimaginative and unfunny, this tale of barnyard mischief borders on 'udder' creepiness and adds little to this summer's repertoire of animated films.
Theatrical Release:06-10-2006
Synopsis: What really happens on the farm when the farmer isn't looking? In director Steve Oedekerk's (KUNG POW: ENTER THE FIST, ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS) computer-generated animation feature, the... [More]
Starring: Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover
Director: Steve Oedekerk
Reviews for Barnyard: The Original Party Animals
The movie still just plods along, and there's nothing very new here.
08/04/06
If you want to punish your kids, send them to bed without dinner. If you want to disturb, frighten and depress them while making sure they fail biology, take them to the animated feature Barnyard.
08/04/06
Too mature for little kids and much too corny for older siblings and chaperones, Barnyard probably should have been put out to pasture long before it made it to the multiplex.
08/04/06
Maybe if the plot was more engaging I wouldn't have been so distracted, but Barnyard was pretty disappointing.
08/04/06
Surely there's no better way to introduce kids to the joys of knee-jerk stereotyping than to randomly distribute clichés among talking livestock.
08/04/06
Top CriticColorful and energetically silly, a little scary and shot through with reassuring and worthy life lessons, it's an untaxing children's movie formula all the way.
08/04/06
All of the jokes are obvious, some are funny and none are what you would call inspired.
08/04/06
The giddily indeterminate approach to bovine gender -- and charmingly sappy adoption subtext lend ample appeal to this decidedly non-Orwellian story of four legs good, two legs irrelevant.
08/04/06
What starts out as a strained, silly and strictly-for-the-chitlins collection of talking animal shenanigans redeems itself through sheer force of personality.
08/04/06
Adults will get enough laughs to survive gags such as the chickens using a Col. Sanders dartboard but will likely lose patience waiting for the very predictable story and sentiments to slowly play themselves out.
08/04/06
Barnyard moves with a frenetic energy, especially in the numerous barn dance and chase scenes, that will probably keep family audiences moderately entertained. But it doesn't stand up to this summer's relative bonanza of animated family films. Moo.
08/04/06
While there are occasional funny bits, the question remains: Why should you go see this movie instead of its competitors? The answer is: You shouldn't.
08/04/06
The basically good -- though not very inspired -- Barnyard just stirred up a lot of 'been there, done that' feelings in me as I watched this film.
08/04/06
Top CriticBarnyard: The Original Party Animals actually has a clever concept (the animals walk upright and hang out like humans when the farmer isn't looking) and it handles such sensitive topics as birth and death with unexpected grace.
08/04/06
Barnyard is nothing so much as The Lion King chewed in a cud and digitally regurgitated. It's manic and maudlin, borderline creepy, occasionally inspired.
08/04/06
It's quick, it's painless, and there are enough laughs (and a few tears) throughout to keep everything moving along.
08/04/06
Barnyard is brought to us by the same comedic genius that made Kung Pow: Enter the Fist. Use that as your personal gauge about how good (or bad) this movie will be.
08/04/06
This is the most dubious animation since Robert Zemeckis's creepy The Polar Express, only uglier, lazier, and with a more indisputable racist streak.
08/04/06
Gary Larson did more with this idea in a single Far Side panel than Steve Oedekerk and his army of animators can muster over eighty minutes in this tepid computer-generated kidflick.
08/04/06
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