Not Chum, Not A Great White
Main Cast: Voices of: Will Smith, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese
Director: Vicky Jenson
Definitely Disney-eque in plot and execution, this amusing little comedy about family and “what really matters” has a few originally funny moments within a rather mundane story. The animation, however, is first-class and does much to give an underwater feel to the entire movie.
The story revolves around Oscar (Smith), a little fish in a big ocean. He has dreams of making it big, but works in a whale wash and about as far from the big time as possible without actually becoming someone’s meal. His friend who is a girl fish (Zellweger) thinks he is tops without having all that fame and fortune, but of course he is oblivious to her love, at least at first. Meanwhile, we zero in on another family, led by Don Leno (Robert De Niro) who hopes to turn the “family” over to his two sons, Frankie and Lenny (Black). All are sharks, but Lenny harbors a deep secret.
These two tales come together in an interesting encounter, and Oscar and Lenny become friends. Oscar hatches up a scheme to bring him to the big time and it actually works! He even catches the eye of a sleek opportunist femme fish (voiced by a silky Angelina Jolie) and seems to have it all in his penthouse pad, but will guilt and other circumstances unravel his plans? (No, I won’t tell you, but you can guess.)
I thought this movie was fun and a very good view for children. There are no real bad moments and the moral of the story is uplifting. For the rest, if you enjoy Will Smith and any of the other top stars, you’ll find something to keep you happy. And, as said, the animation is top notch. The world under the sea comes to life in an amusing way.
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