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"OPEN SEASON" (2006) (voices of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons *None Mild Extreme *Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None Mild None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor None Mild Mild Moderate QUICK TAKE: Computer-Animated Comedy: A domesticated grizzly bear must not only contend with being stuck in the unfamiliar outdoors with a hyperactive and talkative deer, but also the beginning of hunting season where he and the other animals end up in the line of fire. PLOT: Things couldn't be much better for Boog the grizzly bear (voice of MARTIN LAWRENCE). Living in the garage of park ranger Beth (voice of DEBRA MESSING), he's surrounded by all sorts of creature comforts and is something of a celebrity in the wooded town of Timberline where he performs on stage with his caring owner. However, not everyone is a big fan, especially aggressively uptight Shaw (voice of GARY SINISE) who's gotten an illegal jumpstart on the hunting season by bagging himself a buck. Yet, Elliot (voice of ASHTON KUTCHER) -- who's tied to the hood of Shaw's truck -- is only dazed after being run down by the hunter and begs for Boog to help. He reluctantly does, thus enraging Shaw. It seems Elliot has been kicked out of his herd by alpha male Ian (voice of PATRICK WARBURTON) who doesn't want any competition from the scrawnier deer in hopes of wooing doe Giselle (voice of JANE KRAKOWSKI). Accordingly, Elliot wants to hang out with Boog, but his hyperactive ways soon have the grizzly reacting adversely, thus horrifying the townsfolk. As a result, Beth begrudgingly and tearfully must return him to the wild, unaware that he has no idea how to survive there. Still accompanied by Elliot who continues to annoy him, Boog tries to get the lay of the land, but ends up confronting militant squirrel McSquizzy (voice of BILLY CONNOLLY) and his band of synchronized rodents, as well as beaver foreman Reilly (voice of JON FAVREAU) who isn't happy when the huge bear inadvertently breaks his dam and washes all of the animals downstream. As they end up in the area's hunting grounds just as open season begins, Boog and the others must figure how to avoid being shot, especially by Shaw who wants to get revenge on the bear for freeing Elliot. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they enjoy computer-animated movies featuring talking animals, it's a good bet they will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some rude humor, mild action and brief language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view animated characters (particularly non-human ones) as role models, but here's a brief look at the characters' major characteristics. BOOG is a pampered, self-absorbed, and domesticated grizzly bear who finds his life turned upside down, first by the arrival of Elliot and then being dropped off in the wild where he has no idea how to survive. A bit of a goofball, he eventually figures out he needs the other animals as much as they need him, and helps defeat Shaw and other hunters. ELLIOT is the scrawny, one-antlered, high-strung, and somewhat irritating hanger-on who wants to be Boog's buddy. BETH is the human park ranger who loves Boog like a pet but must reluctantly release him back into the wild. SHAW is the tightly wound, intense and mean hunter who wants to do harm to both Elliot and Boog, all while becoming increasingly paranoid that all animals are taking over the world. REILLY is the beaver foreman in charge of constructing their dam. IAN is the alpha male of the deer herd who's kicked Elliot out to eliminate him as possible competition for Giselle. GISELLE is the amiable doe who likes Elliot. McSQUIZZY is the Scottish squirrel leader who leads his band of rodents in battle against Boog and then Shaw. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this computer-animated comedy that's been rated PG. Profanity consists of a minor expletive, while a fair amount of colorful phrases and other potentially imitative behavior are present. Benign material involving human undergarments or related to body parts might be funny to some kids. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, including a hunter who repeatedly chases after and tries to kill the anthropomorphized animals (which, along with other moments of peril, could be somewhat intense for very young viewers, but probably few, if any others). Other violence includes animal characters hitting or otherwise knocking others around, while some slapstick style material is also present. Meanwhile, various instances of crude and scatological material are present, including a brief vomiting scene where a bear hyped up sugar behaves as if quite intoxicated (with those similar results). If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None, but when arrested for trashing a convenience store while hyped up on sugar, Boog acts similarly to someone who's quite intoxicated, stumbling and mumbling about (and eventually vomiting out onto a garage door window). BLOOD/GORE While hyped up on sugar like an intoxicated person, Boog eventually vomits out onto a garage door window. The silhouetted shadow of Boog dealing with Elliot behind a curtain makes it look like he's mauling him (clothes coming off look like skin in the shadow, rope being pulled looks like intestines being ripped out, and liquid hitting the curtain looks like blood), but this is all played for laughs on the part of the film (although the humans viewing it are terrified and flee). Elliot hocks up something and spits into his own hand, extending that dripping paw out to Boog for a partnership type handshake. After eating a pinecone, Boog farts, and them embarrassedly tells Elliot that he has to go (to the bathroom). He then asks Elliot where the toilet is (calling it various names such as "the log cabin" and the "oval office") but the deer says there isn't one out in the woods. Boog then asks Elliot what he does and the deer replies he doesn't know as we see excrement drop out from his rear end (like a normal deer would look -- played for laughs here). Boog then says it's "like riding a bicycle, or crapping on it" and then tries to go behind some bushes, but some bunnies then show up and watch, followed by Elliot, and then Boog having an encounter with two skunks that spray him. Boog wants Elliot to sing him a particular bedtime song, but since Elliot doesn't know it, he makes up the lyrics as he goes, including something about a flatulent dwarf who constantly had to pee. Boog finds a cabin in the woods and then expresses joy when he spots a toilet (when he comes out minutes later, he's carrying a roll of toilet paper). When Shaw returns (doing a little Goldilocks bit of "somebody's been...") he stands in the bathroom and proclaims, "Somebody forgot to flush." DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Some viewers might not like the film's villains being the hunters, including Shaw who's high-strung, increasingly paranoid and tries to kill both Elliot and Boog (he also breaks the rules by trying to do so before hunting season officially begins). Shaw refers to Beth (a park ranger) as a girl scout and refers to her as "sweetie" in a condescending way. Some viewers might not like the bunnies in the film getting most of the flippant physical abuse (thrown as objects rather than beings), but the end credits state that no bunnies were harmed during the making of the film (plus they're computer animated). Boog initially only looks out for himself, but eventually sees the error of his ways. Ian has it out for Elliot (for liking Giselle) and taunts him both mentally (calling him "Smelliot") and physically (tossing him into the air repeatedly), after having the other bucks in his herd surround the much smaller Elliot. He's also mean to Boog once he realizes the bear's no threat, calling him "booger" and telling the two of them, "You're a loser and you're a loserer." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here and under "Violence" might be unsettling, suspenseful, or even scary to very young viewers, but probably to no one else. As Beth goes out to her vehicle, we see a large grizzly bear rear up behind and approach her (seen from in front of her and well as from its POV), letting out a loud roar right behind her. She then turns and does the same back to it, which is when we realize they're friends, and Boog was just playing around. When we first see Elliot, he appears dead as he's tied to Shaw's truck hood, and thus Boog is surprised to find him alive. Shaw chases Elliot through the town in his truck (played more for action/adventure than true suspense). As Boog roughs up Elliot on stage (having him by the throat and banging his head repeatedly), Shaw prepares to shoot both of them with one shot, but the sheriff knocks the rifle away just in time as we hear a shot, but then see that Beth has shot Boog with a tranquilizer dart (and then fires a number into Elliot's butt). Boog holds Elliot by his lone antler over a ledge and then drops him. But we then see that he caught him with his other paw just a foot or so below the one that dropped him. Climbing up a cliff with Elliot (seen from above them looking down), Boog loses his grip and falls a very long distance. We then see him hitting and bouncing off various trees until he eventually lands on a porcupine (we don't see the impact, but do see the critter (alive) stuck on Boog's backside (Elliot pulls the porcupine off, causing Boog some pain in the process -- but it's all played for laughs). Shaw fires at both Boog and Elliot, leaving a large hole in the tree behind them. They flee, with Boog running across a beaver dam that's under construction. It gives way beneath him, resulting in a massive flood that sweeps away all of the animals (a porcupine lands on Elliot's face) as well as Shaw in his truck. After being underwater, they all surface and are swept through some rough rapids, with Shaw repeatedly shooting at Boog and Elliot. When he finally has a bead on them, they all go over a huge waterfall (but everyone is okay and this is played more for adventure than suspense). Boog enters a cabin in the woods, only to discover that it belongs to Shaw. Various animal heads and such are mounted on the walls and Boog picks up a severed rabbit's head where the glass eyeballs fall out. Shaw then returns and Boog tries to hide, but Shaw throws a knife at him (that impales a table). When he retrieves the knife and looks under the table, Boog isn't there, but Shaw figures he's down in the dark basement, so he goes looking for him there (while singing a creepy teddy bear picnic song), as Boog tries to hide before racing up the stairs and getting out of the cabin. Boog and the rest of the animals see that many hunters are camped out in their path to safety and thus realize they must fight rather than flee (in a coordinated, big plan fashion). Shaw attacks Boog, swinging a large knife at him. An animal fires a golf club over to Boog who uses it to hit Shaw, but the hunter then aims his rifle at Boog. Other animals then fire Elliot via a slingshot and he smashes into Shaw and his rifle, leaving the deer limp on the ground (we don't initially know if he's just unconscious or dead, and his remaining antler comes off). Boog is infuriated by this, rises up above Shaw and attacks him (seen from behind Boog so we can't see what's occurring -- but we then see that he's tied up Shaw by bending his rifle around him). Other animals then pile on and attack Shaw (played for action-based laughter), and Elliot is okay. GUNS/WEAPONS Hunting rifles and/or shotguns/Knife: Carried and/or used to threaten or attempt to kill the animals. See "Violence" for details. We see a wooden rifle as an advertisement for a gun shop. Beth uses a tranquilizer gun to sedate both Boog and Elliot. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR We couldn't fully hear and/or understand some of the heavily accented slang from McSquizzy, so the following should be considered a minimum: Phrases: "The girl's got growl," "You're going from one grill to another" (Shaw to Elliot who's tied to the hood of his truck), "That guy really chaps my khakis," "That's nasty," "This is my ride," "I'm a unihorn," "Knuckle-dragger," "Tree hugger," "Girl scout," "You're a sick, sick puppy," "Sweetie," "One-horned freak," "Cornflake," "Haul your little butt back out that window," "Yoo-hoo," "You're freaking me out," "Sweet," "So bad I shouldn't, but I will," "Hello idiot" (said after inhaling helium), "That's messed up," "It's like freedom in a cup" (Elliot about coffee), "You two-legged latte drinker," "You four-legged freaks of nature," "Right-tighty, lefty loosey," "Bahookey" (or something like that for "butt"), "Oy" (said in unison by the squirrels), "You're asking for a whooping," "Dang," "Diva," "Listen, simple," "Some kind of chick fight," "Oh crud," "Smelliot" (a taunt by Ian to Elliot), "Booger," "You're a loser and you're a loserer," "See you later backpack boy," "You pantywaisted cow," what sounded like "You big Jersey," "Dawg," "A couple of whack jobs," "The same dang dam," "Oh sweet porcelain" (toilet), "Somebody forget to flush," "We'll need your nuts," "Are you insane?" and "Bros' before does" (brothers before female deer). Boog stands in the back of Beth's truck as she heads down the highway (he's too big to fit inside) and whacks a don't feed the bears sign with his paw. Trying to get Boog's attention, Elliot throws various live bunnies against his window (they hit, stick for a moment and then slide off -- all played for laughs). Boog and Elliot inhale helium in a convenience store, with Boog then sounding funny, and Boog sprays processed cheese product into Elliot's mouth (among many other things that kids might want to imitate as they get hyped up on sugar and trash the place in a frenzy of play). While hyped up on sugar, Boog shakes his butt and Elliot does a lot of exaggerated tongue wagging. While hyped up on sugar and throwing a lot money into the air, it sounded like Boog yells out, "Orgy" (referring to all of the money). While stuck in the ground antler first, Elliot's deer butt is sticking up in the air and he comments on getting a "moon burn" in that position. Elliot hocks up something and spits into his own hand, extending that dripping paw out to Boog for a partnership type handshake. Boog wants Elliot to sing him a particular bedtime song, but since Elliot doesn't know it, he makes up the lyrics as he goes, including something about a flatulent dwarf who constantly had to pee. Shaw "plays" his rifle like an electric guitar (on several occasions). We see several regular bras on a clothesline attached to a camper (that the animals use as slingshots to fire things at the hunters). As the animals vs. hunters battle continues, the animals fire flaming marshmallows (on small forks) at the hunters (some are slightly impaled, but seem to be okay). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A mild amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY We couldn't fully hear and/or understand some of the heavily accented slang from McSquizzy, so the following should be considered a minimum: At least 1 crap. SEX/NUDITY Talking about a candy bar he's about to consume (almost as if about a woman), Boog says it's smooth and creamy, so bad, and that he knows he shouldn't, but he will. Shaw cautions some campers that their pet dog will use a shiv on them, with the woman confusing that and replying the dog can't since they had him fixed. Elliot walks along with Boog's stuffed bear toy tied around his crotch like a thong (so that small straps go around him and the toy bear covers his crotch). He then has a cookie from that stuffed bear and offers one to Boog who declines based on where it's coming from. We see several regular bras on a clothesline attached to a camper (that the animals use as slingshots to fire things at the hunters). Several beavers then attack some male hunters (played for comedy action) and come away carrying their briefs. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Although they're not related by blood (or species), Beth and Boog miss each other when they're separated. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Human interaction with wild animals, and how that's increasing as our population crowds their habitat. Releasing rescued or raised animals back into the wild. Shaw cautions some campers that their pet dog will use a shiv on them, with the woman confusing that and replying the dog can't since they had him fixed. VIOLENCE Various scenes feature characters falling or inadvertently getting knocked around by others in a slapstick fashion and without any apparent harm (all played for comedy). Boog stands in the back of Beth's truck as she heads down the highway (he's too big to fit inside) and whacks a don't feed the bears sign with his paw. Shaw remembers driving off the road and running over Elliot (we see this in flashback), resulting in the deer losing one of his antlers. After Boog frees Elliot from Shaw's hood, the deer accidentally breaks the hunter's headlight while fleeing. Trying to get Boog's attention, Elliot throws various live bunnies against his window (they hit, stick for a moment and then slide off -- all played for laughs). Elliot uses a grocery cart to break through a convenience store's glass door to get to some candy bars. He and Boog then get hyped up on the sugar and cause all sorts of property damage inside, including breaking more glass. Boog grabs Elliot by his antler and pushes him back against a wall while perturbed by him. The silhouetted shadow of Boog dealing with Elliot behind a curtain makes it look like he's mauling him (clothes coming off look like skin in the shadow, rope being pulled looks like intestines being ripped out, and liquid hitting the curtain looks like blood), but this is all played for laughs on the part of the film (although the humans viewing it are terrified and flee). Boog tosses Elliot up into the air (we don't see him for several moments), followed by the deer landing hard on the ground, with his antler impaling and getting stuck in the dirt. McSquizzy and his fellow squirrels pelt Boog with pinecones from up in their tree. This then happens again several times later in the film with other tree-based objects (all played for laughs). Climbing up a cliff with Elliot (seen from above them looking down), Boog loses his grip and falls a very long distance. We then see him hitting and bouncing off various trees until he eventually lands on a porcupine (we don't see the impact, but do see the critter (alive) stuck on Boog's backside (Elliot pulls the porcupine off, causing Boog some pain in the process -- but it's all played for laughs). Some fish pop up and whack Boog in the face with their tales (when he's thinking about eating them). Two skunks spray Boog and he stumbles out, while a squirrel falls to the ground, unconscious or dead. We see a WWII type flashback of French ducks flying in formation and then some catching on fire (like fighter planes, and presumably shot, although we don't see that act) and plummeting from the sky (no impact below). Shaw grabs a domestic dog (thinking he's taken over ruling his human owners), but the small pooch bites him on the arm, causing him to let go. We see Shaw's imagined view of all animals taking over from humans, including throwing items off a roof (causing property damage). Shaw fires at both Boog and Elliot, leaving a large hole in the tree behind them. They flee, with Boog running across a beaver dam that's under construction. It gives way beneath him, resulting in a massive flood that sweeps away all of the animals (a porcupine lands on Elliot's face) as well as Shaw in his truck. After being underwater, they all surface and are swept through some rough rapids, with Shaw repeatedly shooting at Boog and Elliot. When he finally has a bead on them, they all go over a huge waterfall (but everyone is okay and this is played more for adventure than suspense). Shaw throws a knife that impales a table near Boog. While fleeing, Elliot accidentally runs face-first into a tree. Ducks fly along carrying skunks that let out their spray that hits many hunters on the ground. The other animals then get into a big melee with the hunters, with some using sheets of metal to block the bullets fired at them. An animal wearing a human's dentures then bites one hunter, while others kick or ram more hunters with their antlers, etc. (all of that's played for action-comedy). As the animals vs. hunters battle continues, the animals fire flaming marshmallows (on small forks) at the hunters (some are slightly impaled, but seem to be okay). A beaver fires an propane gas canister onto a hunter's truck, with something on fire following that, resulting in a big explosion that sends that engulfed truck into the air (it lands next to other trucks, causing them to explode). Shaw attacks Boog, swinging a large knife at him. An animal fires a golf club over to Boog who uses it to hit Shaw, but the hunter then aims his rifle at Boog. Other animals then fire Elliot via a slingshot and he smashes into Shaw and his rifle, leaving the deer limp on the ground (we don't initially know if he's just unconscious or dead, and his remaining antler comes off). Boog is infuriated by this, rises up above Shaw and attacks him (seen from behind Boog so we can't see what's occurring -- but we then see that he's tied up Shaw by bending his rifle around him). Other animals then pile on and attack Shaw (played for action-based laughter), and Elliot is okay. Reviewed September 16, 2006 / Posted September 29, 2006

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