‘Home’
Grade: C+
Children’s movies have long been created with the same tropes. Though some films can work within these tropes and still pull off a hit, the most recent DreamWorks Animation movie did not.
“Home” is the story of an alien, Oh.
Voiced by Jim Parsons, Oh is an outcast among his race, the Boov, who have just conquered Earth.
Oh agrees to help a human girl, Tip, find her mother.
One of the big problems with the movie is the premise of the plot. The Boov have invaded Earth to hide from the Gorg, its enemy.
When Oh accidentally sends a party invite to the entire galaxy, including the Gorg, he becomes a fugitive and must escape or be erased.
It’s clear the email mix-up is supposed to be a jab at problems with email functions.
However, it makes no sense that an efficient race such as the Boov would design the “Reply All” button to send a message to the whole galaxy instead of to every Boov.
That’s the equivalent of someone hitting the “Reply All” button and the email being sent to everyone who has ?an email.
No sensible person would design that function. The idea is unbelievable, even for a kid’s movie about aliens taking control of the Earth.
Another element detracting from the success of the movie was its lack of humor.
Many jokes attempted in the movie fell flat, especially early on.
The humor picked up a bit in the middle but, for all of the children in theater, there was surprisingly little laughter. And we all know how easy it is to make kids laugh.
As far as casting goes, it’s hard to judge the performance of voice actors.
Steve Martin, who voiced the Boovian leader Captain Smek, is well-known for his comedic facial expressions, but he can also hold his own doing voices. His voice was hardly recognizable.
On the other hand, it took a good five minutes not to hear Sheldon Cooper of “Big Bang Theory” when Oh spoke because Parsons’ voice is so distinct.
Finally, I’m not too familiar with Rihanna’s talking voice, but her singing voice could be heard frequently in Tip. Half of the soundtrack seemed to be comprised of her songs.
For all of its flaws, “Home” does have its share of amusing and touching moments. Though it can’t compete with its Disney and Pixar rivals, its main character, Oh, is a goofy and adorable little alien worth watching.
