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Dreamworks hits a homerun with this animated comedy featuring the vocal talents of Bruce Willis, Gary Shandling, Steve Carell, and many others. The movie opens up with R.J., a raccoon (Bruce Willis), desperately trying to get a bag of nacho-flavored chips out of a vending machine. It's happened to all of us: the chips get stuck and don't fall to the bottom. After trying everything he can think of to get it to fall, R.J. throws a line and pulls himself up to where Vincent (Nick Nolte) the bear is hibernating. R.J. attempts to steal his food, but alas, he is out of luck once again. Vincent wakes up before R.J. can get the wagon of food out of the cave. R.J. knocks the wagon down the ravine where it is immediately smashed by an eighteen-wheeler. This does not make Vincent happy at all - in fact, he's going to kill R.J. Quick-thinking, fast-talking R.J. negotiates his way out of certain death when he agrees to get all of Vincent's food back (plus his red wagon and blue cooler). As he sets out on his quest, R.J. stumbles upon a family of mismatched animals who don't know anything but life in the woods. The scheming raccoon tricks them into getting the food he needs to repay his debt to Vincent by going into the suburban neighborhood that popped up (over the hedge) while they were hibernating. The characters are great: Gary Shandling as the turtle Verne, Wanda Sykes as a skunk, and Steve Carell as Hammy the squirrel. If you want to think deeply, you will find a scathing indictment of the suburban lifestyle and consumerism; on a warmer note, there's a clear message that, through thick and thin, families stick together and help one another. Suspense, action, and drama within the slapstick comedy keeps the movie on an even keel. The writers create fantastic dialogue, and the animation is absolutely superb to watch on the big screen or small. The DVD comes chockfull of extras: commentary from directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick and producer Bonnie Arnold, an animated short ("Hammy's Boomerang Adventure"), Behind the Hedge, Meet the Cast, Galleries, and DVD-Rom activities. |
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| action | animation | art house/international | comedy | documentary | drama | family | horror/sci-fi | suspense | television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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