'Hop' Movie Review

Introduction

The combination of live action and animation hasn’t exactly been used to phenomenal effect as of late, what with movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks and Yogi Bear flooding multiplexes. The genre, which has produced such classics as 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit and 2009’s Avatar, reaches its lowest point in quite some time with Hop, however, as director Tim Hill has crafted a dull and aggressively mediocre comedy that seems to have been designed to appeal solely to small children.

As Hop opens, we meet the Easter Bunny (Hugh Laurie) and his adorable, enthusiastic young son, E.B. (Django Marsh). E.B. is gleefully looking forward to the day when he gets to take over the globetrotting job from his father, although, twenty years later, the character (now voiced by Russell Brand) has decided that he’d rather be a drummer than the Easter Bunny. Just as the Easter Bunny is preparing to name E.B. as his successor, E.B. runs away to Hollywood and attempts to find a place to star.

Meanwhile, Fred O’Hare (James Marsden) is a thirtysomething slacker who has just received an ultimatum from his father (Gary Cole’s Henry): Get out and get a job. After his sister (Kaley Cuoco’s Sam) sets him up with a housesitting gig, Fred almost hits E.B. with his car and subsequently agrees to let the talking rabbit stay with him. E.B. immediately begins disrupting Fred’s life and eventually sets out to become a star, and it’s not long before the character is auditioning for David Hasselhoff’s reality show Hoff Knows Talent.

Despite its various problems, Hop is, at least, filled with stellar actors who attempt to make the best out of the underwhelming material that they’ve been given. In terms of the voice cast, Brand delivers a fast-talking, consistently sarcastic performance that will seem familiar to his fans – although it does feel like the actor loses some of his punch when forced to tone down his persona. Laurie is quite good as the Easter Bunny, while Hank Azaria delivers a typically over-the-top turn as Carlos, a megalomaniacal chick who wants nothing more than to become the first feathered Easter Bunny.

On the live action side of things, Marsden turns in a charming performance as the affable protagonist – though the actor often does go just a little too far over the top in his portrayal of a laid-back slacker. Kaley Cuoco and Gary Cole are fine as Fred’s sister and father, respectively, while folks like David Hasselhoff, Chelsea Handler, and the Blind Boys of Alabama show up in small supporting roles.

The biggest problem with Hop is that it never feels like a fully-realized or completely coherent piece of work. Instead, the movie comes off as a series of stand-alone sketches that have been loosely strung together by the vaguest hint of a storyline. The result is an uneven mishmash of incredibly unfunny sequences – including a scene in which Fred applies for a job despite E.B.’s continuing interference – and it consequently goes without saying that the movie suffers from a complete and utter lack of momentum that proves disastrous.

And just as it seems as though things can’t possibly get worse, Hop charges into its action-packed yet thoroughly tedious third act revolving around Carlos’ attempts at hijacking Easter. It is, ultimately, impossible to label Hop as anything more than a bottom-of-the-barrel cash grab, which is certainly disappointing when you consider that many of the folks behind the scenes also worked on 2010’s comparatively masterful comedy Despicable Me.

Grade: D

Hop was directed by Tim Hill and is rated PG for some mild rude humor.

Theatrical Release Date: April 1, 2011