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| Movie Review |
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Charlotte's Web
- In theaters December 15th 2006
- Rated G
- RunTime: 97 min
- Website
- Matt's rating - 3 out of 5
- Cindy's rating - 3.5 out of 5
Matt's Review
"How could this have happened? A miracle, in a time
when we don't see many miraculous things!"
Charlotte’s Web, though a delightful family film, is no
miracle. But then what movie has ever been as
captivating as the book? Based on the classic of the
same name by E.B. White and featuring live actors
(Dakota Fanning, Siobhan Fallon) along with talking
animals this children's story comes to cinematic life.
And thanks to a cute, pink pig if you haven't sworn
off pork by now this should seal the deal.
That is the hook of this film and one of two saving
elements. Wilbur. The runt of the litter. If he lives at
all it will be to become a side item at IHOP.
Immediately you start pulling for him with that cute
nose and little eyes and curly tale. You are
convinced that hell has an express lane for fans of
sausage and ham. And ham it up he does. Wilbur
steals the hearts of young and old alike. The second
and most wonderful part of this film is Charlotte
herself. The spider who ultimately saves Wilbur's life.
But the magic is not in what you see in the spider
but rather what you hear. Voiced by Julia Roberts,
Charlotte has a soothing almost hypnotic way about
her that is beyond a character voiceover. It is truly
magical.
Where the movie falls short is in the writing and
timing of all the other barnyard animals. They try to
be humorous and witty but all fall extremely short.
There is no chemistry or any sort of rhythm to the
characters. In past features such as Babe or Racing
Stripes the animals had some life in their voices.
Other than Templeton the Rat (Steve Buscemi) they
all miss the mark. A shock when you consider the
recognizable voices. (John Cleese, Kathy Bates,
Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford) Lines that
are meant to be humorous come across as just lame.
Almost like they had to fill in the gaps around Wilbur
and Charlotte and didn't take the time to develop
those pieces. And though the theme of friendship is
told wonderfully through the main characters they
tried to tell a parallel story among the rest of the
barn cast but it just didn't fly. These facts keep a
delightful movie from becoming a truly terrific, classic-
destined film.
Charlotte's Web is rated G and totally suitable for the
entire family.
Everyone will cheer for Wilbur and the toughest of
movie goers will shed a tear or two for his devoted
heroine. This film, though not timeless like the book is
worth seeing at least once. Will this movie do to pork
sales what Bambi did to hunting licenses? Not sure,
but if you can even think about eating an animal
after watching this flick your a pretty grizzled
individual. Wilbur totally strengthened my vegetarian
thought processes. I give it 3 out of 5 spins. The pig
is as cute as they come. With a look at Charlotte's
Web, I'm Matt Mungle.
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Mungleshow Productions
Matt Mungle
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