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THE ANT BULLY
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  **

THE ANT BULLY can rightly boast of the handsomeness of its character design.
>From the ants to the wasps, the computer-generated images are imaginative
and appealing. It's too bad that the same can't be said of the script of
this animated movie from Warner Brothers. In stark contrast to the
sharply-written and sassy MONSTER HOUSE, which opened last Friday, THE ANT
BULLY has few lines with much punch, and none of the characters are
captivating.

Are there enough laughs in THE ANT BULLY to amuse its intended audience of
those in the single digits and perhaps slightly older? Well, yes. But this
is a "yes" with comes with a "but," or, more precisely, lots of "butts," as
it attempts to mine most of his humor at the poop and butt mines. We learn,
for example, that the hearts of ants are in their posterior, so when they
have to "cross their hearts," it looks silly enough to tickle little funny
bones in the audience. One of the many poop jokes involves a delicious
"honey dew," which turns out to be something that came out of the rear end
of a lawn-dwelling creature.

Hollywood turned out in droves to help Warner Brothers in voice talent
department. Academy Award winners and nominees dominate the cast, so it's
too bad that they weren't given better material to work with. Nicolas Cage,
Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep are among those who give the ants their
ability to speak. The voices for the animated humans are by Paul Giamatti,
Lily Tomlin and others.

The story involves a small boy named Lucas Nickle (voiced by Zach Tyler
Eisen) who is regularly tormented by the big and pudgy neighborhood bully.
In order to establish his pecking order in the world, Lucas takes his
repressed anger out on the helpless ants who live in a large colony in his
front yard. His destructive behavior has him dubbed the "Destroyer" by the
ant community.

One day an ant known as Wizard Ant Zoc (voiced by Cage) finally perfects his
magic potion. With it, Zoc reduces Lucas down to ant size. And, once the
size of an ant, Lucas is expected to train and work like an ant. In the
last act, Lucas and his newfound ant friends engage in a STAR WARS-like
battle with a cigar-chomping exterminator (voiced by Giamatti). The
sequence, even if essentially a cinematic retread, is the only briefly
exhilarating moment in the movie.

Although I noticed a lot of fidgeting in our crowded audience, the movie
will suffice to keep most kids mildly amused as they stay in from the summer
heat. And kids always have a special place in their heart for lots of
bathroom humor. You, however, will probably wish you and your kids had
something better to watch. Well, you do. It's called MONSTER HOUSE, and
it's probably playing just one screen over from THE ANT BULLY at every
multiplex in the land.

THE ANT BULLY runs 1:20. It is rated PG for "some mild rude humor and
action" and would be acceptable for all ages.

My nephew William, age 12, said the film was "pretty good." His favorite
scene came when a wasp bit the exterminator in a very embarrassing place.
His sister Liana, age 9, said that she liked the movie. Her favorite part
came when Lucas and his friends banded together to "dog pile" the bully who
had been harassing them.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, July 28, 2006. In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.

Web:

http://www.InternetReviews.com

Email:

Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com

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