USCCB’s Review of Hoodwinked



With the movie Hoodwinked, the title says it all, especially if you're expecting computer-animated entertainment on a par with Shrek or Pixar's bar-setting delights such as The Incredibles.

Lifting its premise (sort of) and title (partially) from the 1955 Looney Tunes cartoon Red Riding Hoodwinked, the intermittently amusing film directed by Cory Edwards sets out to reveal the “real story” behind the well-known nursery tale.

Told in true-crime manner, the movie opens with the woodland police &#0151 a menagerie of Keystone Kops &#0151 responding to a domestic disturbance call involving a young girl, an old lady, a fanged intruder and a brawny woodsman wielding an axe without a license.

Lending their voices are Anne Hathaway as the spunky scarlet-clad heroine; Glenn Close as her granny, here a closeted extreme-sports enthusiast; Patrick Warburton as the big, bad wolf; and Jim Belushi as a schnitzel-selling lumberjack.

The police are aided by a dapper frog detective named Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers), who believes that one of the four may be the elusive “Goody Bandit,” who has been stealing prize recipes from local businesses. As the investigation unfolds, each of the storybook suspects gives a different accounting of the events a la Rashomon.

Despite sporadic bursts of wit, the wacky proceedings are handicapped by a laugh-lean script, unimpressive animation and forgettable songs.

There are enough sight gags to hold youngsters' interest, but adults will be thankful for the film's merciful 80-minute length. Give me Looney Tunes any day!

The film contains cartoon action violence and mildly crude humor. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II &#0151 adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG &#0151 parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

(This review appears courtesy of US Conference of Catholic Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting.)

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