Barnyard Review

"Barnyard" reviews

Movie

Barnyard

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-03-28 21:56:41

Rating

1.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Barnyard seems like it might be fun. Cows acting like humans? Get out! That's hilarious! But really, it's not. It's a one-note premise that falls flat after about 10 minutes.

Story

Barnyard reminds me of a classic Far Side comic strip from Gary Larson, in which there's a bunch of cows in a field near a road, standing around on two legs, smoking cigarettes, chatting with one another. One of them suddenly yells, "CAR!" and they drop on all fours and act like, well, cows, as the car drives by. Once the car is gone, they stand back up again and resume their activities. Funny, right? For a comic strip. To concoct a whole movie around the idea, however, you might be pushing it. And so we have Barnyard. The cows—along with the hens, the goats, pigs, horses, et. al.—walk on two legs and conduct themselves in a humanly fashion when the farmer is away. They even party hardy in the barn-turned-speakeasy once the sun goes down. Of course, to keep the story going, Barnyard throws in a father-son conflict, with evil, pillaging coyotes as the villains. Whatever. The cows are still standing in the end.

Acting

The list of big talent lending their vocals this time around also fail to inspire. Comedian Kevin James voices the main cow, Otis, the "original party animal" who could care less about anything else but having fun. Gruff veteran Sam Elliot plays his dad, Ben, the strong leader of the farm who tries to teach his son how to care for the other animals. Yawn. Let's see, there's also Friends' Courteney Cox as a lovely she cow; Wanda Sykes as her wisecracking friend (does she do anything else but wisecrack?); Danny Glover as a wise old mule (yes, this is what he's been reduced to); and Andie MacDowell as a mother hen. A real mother hen. Don't even ask about Wild Mike.

Direction

And don't even get me started on the fact ALL the bovines have udders, regardless of gender. Is Otis a bull trapped in a cow's body? Of course, as I'm obsessing over this rather glaring error in animal realism, I have to stop myself, realizing I'm watching a movie about talking farm animals, livin' life large as quasi-humans. Sigh. Writer/director Steve Oedekerk—Jim Carrey's go-to screenwriter, having penned Bruce Almighty and both Ace Venturas—also has Kung Pow: Enter the Fist under his belt. Yes, he knows a bit about comedy, but his comic sensibilities obviously run very broad. In other words, there are no subtle inside remarks aimed at the adults. To Oedekerk's credit, there are some moments of hilarity, especially when Otis and a bunch of "Jersey" thug cows go for a joy ride. But it's fleeting. It might be time to take a break from this glut of cutesy CGI animation.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 1 1/2 stars.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2007.

Movie

Barnyard

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-10-11 15:00:23

Provider

MRIB

Review

Time was when animated comedies were released no more than two or three times a year. Now they're as common as generic horror films and, needless to say, that has taken its toll on the quality.

That said, Barnyard is a better-than-average example, even if it does shamelessly rip off The Lion King, while its numerous 'hip' references to cellphones etc recall other talking animal outings such as Magadascar and Over The Hedge.

The plot is endearingly simple, however. The farm's cows, chickens, pigs and mice act as you might expect until the farmer is absent or asleep, whereupon they show off their human-like qualities, whether teasing the postman or rebelling against their parents. In fact Otis (voiced by Kevin James), the baby cow, does everything bad that is humanly possible bar smoking drugs and playing violent video games.

The youngster and his responsible dad, Ben (Sam Elliott), are entrusted with protecting the rest of the animals from a pack of coyotes, resulting in some scenes that may distress younger viewers. There is one incident of death, several occasions in which animals are in grave danger and a final battle that is only marginally less bloodthirsty than the beginning of Gladiator. Still, by way of consolation, the farmer is a vegan and animals place in the food chain is cunningly sidestepped.

There are some nifty musical moments, though, which, added to the genuinely sharply-scripted plot, makes for a film that more than holds its own against its rivals in the field.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.