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Movies / On DVD / Over the Hedge
Over the Hedge

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Over the Hedge (2006)

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Reviews Counted:160

Fresh:118

Rotten:42

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Even if it's not an animation classic, Over the Hedge is clever and fun, and the jokes cater to family members of all ages.

Rated: U [See Full Rating] for some rude humor and mild comic action

Runtime: 3 hrs 3 mins 13 secs

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:30-06-2006

Synopsis: Just whose backyard is it, anyway? Spring has sprung, and Verne and his woodland friends awaken from their long winter's nap to discover that a tall, green "thing" has mysteriously cropped up... Just whose backyard is it, anyway? Spring has sprung, and Verne and his woodland friends awaken from their long winter's nap to discover that a tall, green "thing" has mysteriously cropped up right through the middle of their home. Enter RJ, an opportunistic raccoon, who explains that the world beyond the hedge is the "gateway to the good life" where peculiar creatures called humans live to eat, rather than eat to live. Suspicious and even a little jealous of RJ, the ever-cautious Verne wants to keep his blended family safely on their side of the hedge. But, proving the adage that one man's garbage is another man's—or rather animal's—treasure, the manipulative RJ tries to convince the woodland band that there is little to fear and everything to gain from their over-indulgent new neighbors. Eventually, RJ and Verne form an unlikely friendship as they learn to co-exist with—and even exploit—this strange new world called suburbia. Heading up an all-star voice cast, Bruce Willis (the "Die Hard" franchise, "Sixth Sense") is the voice of the mischievous con-artist raccoon named RJ, and Emmy winner Garry Shandling (TV's "The Larry Sanders Show," "It's Garry Shandling's Show") voices the overprotective turtle named Verne in the computer-animated comedy "Over the Hedge." Rounding out the voice cast of "Over the Hedge" are: Steve Carell ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin," TV's "The Office") as a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy; two-time Emmy winner William Shatner (TV's "Boston Legal") as Ozzie, a possum who excels at playing dead with a melodramatic flair; chart-topping recording artist Avril Lavigne as Ozzie's daughter, Heather; Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy (both "A Mighty Wind," "Best in Show"), who are paired as the porcupine couple Penny and Lou, with a brood of little porcupine mouths to feed; comedienne Wanda Sykes as a sassy skunk named Stella; two-time Oscar® nominee Nick Nolte ("Affliction," "The Prince of Tides") as a bear named Vincent; and Omid Djalili ("Casanova") as a spoiled housecat named Tiger. On the human side, four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney (TV's "The West Wing") plays Gladys, the president of the local homeowners' association, who isn't about to see her neighborhood overrun by wildlife; and Oscar® nominee Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways") as "the Verminator," whom Gladys hires to rid the area of our woodland heroes. Based on the popular comic strip by Michael Fry and T Lewis, "Over the Hedge" is being directed by Tim Johnson ("Antz") and Karey Kirkpatrick ("Chicken Run" screenwriter), making his directorial debut. Bonnie Arnold ("Toy Story," "Tarzan") is producing. --© DreamWorks [More]

Starring: Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Garry Shandling, William Shatner

Starring: Bruce Willis, Steve Carell, Garry Shandling, William Shatner, Thomas Haden Church

Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick

Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Screenwriter: Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Karey Kirkpatrick
Composer: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Reviews for Over the Hedge

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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A cookie-cutter money-spinner, finely tooled for maximum profit, but utterly lacking timeless charm.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode
Observer [UK]

Lack of a decent plot or memorable characters starts to show around the hour mark.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
07/01/06
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's a moderate amount of fun to be had.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
07/01/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Caffeine freak critters, duplicitous raccoons, a highly talented cast and Bill Shatner in overacting overdrive -- it's like coming out of hibernation and waking in an animator's playground.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/10/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It misses the mark a couple of times but in the main, it’s good clean fun.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/29/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film that's good looking, thoroughly engaging and very, very funny. Better still, it's a movie that will delight all age groups and not just the ankle biters.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
06/30/06
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

Bursting with energy, excitement and humour while finding a tone that'll have kids and adults alike rolling in the aisles, Over the Hedge is the first of this year's classic animations, destined to be remembered for years to come.

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
07/08/06
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus

Brightly animated, frequently hilarious and perfectly cast comedy from the Dreamworks stable - the best of the recent animal-themed cartoon features.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
06/29/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

You’ll soon be sick of digital furballs, but there’s plenty of fun here — and Hammy is up there with Ice Age’s Scrat in the pantheon of lunatic movie rodents.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
06/30/06
Nick De Semlyen
Nick De Semlyen
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A cracking adventure, with animation that's worth seeing on the big screen.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
05/18/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

There is plenty of topnotch voice talent on the soundtrack.... What there isn't is a punchy script.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
05/25/06
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Promising premise, but lacks follow through.

Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
05/19/06
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Cinemania

It is a generic multiplex space holder in between better cartoon releases.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/18/06
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

Two directors plus five writers show some taste and keep things impish for kids, with cute jokes and a soft pitch at the end for family values. But we can tell when they're seeking to amuse themselves.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
05/19/06
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Hums along with such well-greased precision, you can almost hear the industrial cogs and wheels whirring in all their viscous complexity. There's such a knowing swagger about the film's comedy, there seems to be no innocence in the mix at all.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/18/06
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

2006 has not been a kind year to the animated genre and the empty, irresponsible Over the Hedge is so far the worst of the lot.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
05/18/06
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

I can digest a certain amount of importance-of-family sap, but I expect something in return.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/18/06
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Underwhelming...among kidflicks of this sort it's neither great nor terrible, just mediocre.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
05/18/06
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Maybe the concept just wasn't funny enough to mine for a whole movie. But considering they do a comic strip of this every week, there must be something there if the right person can find it.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
05/18/06
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

Want to take your kids to a movie that equates junk food and fun? If so, then this one's for you.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment 2 Comments
05/25/06
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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