Hop: Seven Surprisingly Decent Things About The Movie

Hop was the top movie at the box office this weekend, and given the scores of people (mostly under the age of 10) packed into the theater where I saw it, that shouldn't have been much of a surprise. Having seen the horrifying the commercials are (the bunny poops jelly beans and Kaley Cuoco eats them), I went into this film with a sense of dread. But while I was expecting the worst, and it indeed did not really tread a lot of new ground or push the limits of animation, it was more tolerable than, say, Alvin and the Chipmunks with more than a few pleasant surprises tucked in for the grown ups who had to sit through it with their kids.

1. No weird relationship between Kaley Cuoco and the Easter Bunny
You know the commercials where Kaley Cuoco is hugging the bunny and he's like massaging her back and smelling her hair? I was pretty much afraid that there was going to be some bizarre bestiality plot line, since the bunny does walk and talk. But they didn't go that way, aside from one off-handed comment from E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) asking if she was single. Oh, and better still, Kaley Cuoco and James Marsden are playing brother and sister, which, considering they have zero chemistry together, was for the best as well.

2. Only a small amount of scatological humor
After the jelly bean pooping in the ads, I was concerned about the amount of fart and poop jokes I'd have to withstand, but it was really surprisingly limited to what we saw in the commercials.

3. A bunny boiling joke
My kid might not have understood why I was laughing when it looked for a minute like E.B. was in a boiling pot, but you know, there just can't be enough bunny boiling jokes in movies as far as I'm concerned.

4. The Hoff
David Hasselhoff making fun of himself and his America's Got Talent gig? Pretty decent... though again, it went over the heads of most of the audience.

5. Hank Azaria is fantastic
He plays a disgruntled chick employee to the Easter bunny who is vying to take over the job when next-in-line E.B. takes off to pursue his rock star fantasies. He does double duty as a dancing chick as well, and all of the best lines in the movie belong to him. I see chick spinoffs in his future.

6. Russell Brand is slightly more tolerable in animated form
I think if given the choice to sit through Hop again, or watch Brand act like a manchild in Arthur later this month, I'd pick Hop in a second. Russell Brand's little bunny form is cute and clean and well-dressed. Amazing what computer graphics can do.

7. The Pink Berets
There's an elite group of girl bunnies (sporting pink berets and pink fanny packs) tasked with serving and protecting the Easter Bunny at all costs. A little cutesy, but I loved them anyway.

Were you forced to see this movie? What did you think? Sound off below.

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1 Comments

May 29, 2011 12:01 PM
Nook
Reply

What a joy to find such clear thinking. Thanks for psotnig!

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