Hop (Review)

After months of catching the same trailer for this Alvin & the Chipmunks-styled mix of animation and live action from Tim Hill (director of Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties and the first Chipmunks movie), I was already tired of watching the anonymous little bunny in flannel drag his drums across the screen. And now, after having seen the full story of EB (voiced by schtickmeister Russell Brand), I can say that weariness remains the lasting sensation one will likely have — and not the gasping for breath exhaustion that comes from laughing hysterically. No, Hop leaves you with the sense of boredom that doesn’t even result in a slumbering escape; you only end up pondering how many other unpleasant situations you could have found yourself in that would have been preferable to the time spent trapped in this particular theater surrounded by families whose children are as bored as you are.

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EB is the Easter Bunny heir apparent who would rather make his name and fortune playing Rock & Roll, while Fred (James Marsden), his human equivalent, sponges off his parents because he hasn’t found anything interesting to do with his life. So, when the two come together, nothing too surprising happens, at least not in terms of the story.

I must confess that I spent most of my time wondering what is it about Marsden, a talented performer, who certainly gives his all here without the slightest wink or nudge to let us know that he’s too cool for this sort of thing. No visionary Hollywood insider is going to spot him in this film and develop the perfect vehicle around his unique abilities, which means he, much like his character, will continue hopping around from one boring project to the next. Grade: D