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"IGOR" (2008) (voices of John Cusack, Molly Shannon) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Mild Heavy *Moderate Moderate Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None Moderate None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None None Heavy *Moderate QUICK TAKE: Animated Comedy: Upon the demise of his master, an evil scientist's assistant sets out to create a monster, but is horrified when she turns out to be sweet rather than evil as planned. PLOT: Malaria was once home of fertile farm lands, but is now a dreary place to live ever since permanent clouds enveloped the place. As a result, King Malbert (voice of JAY LENO) concocted a scheme to raise capital by extorting the rest of the world with the threat of unleashing something truly horrible unless everyone pay up to keep it leashed. Every year, the land's evil scientists strive to create such monsters and such, with the annual competition just a week away. Igor (voice of JOHN CUSACK) has long dreamed of being such an evil scientist, but the hunch on his back meant he was automatically assigned to go to Igor school to learn how to become an assistant to real evil scientists. The only problem is that he's so much better of an inventor than his master, Dr. Glickenstein (voice of JOHN CLEESE), whose every attempt has failed. That's unlike Igor's creations that might not be perfect but have survived, including the suicidal, buck-toothed rabbit Scamper (voice of STEVE BUSCEMI) who's afflicted with immortality, and Brain (voice of SEAN HAYES), a nervous bit of gray matter transported around inside a jar atop a dolly. King Malbert hates that the reigning evil scientist champion, Dr. Schadenfreude (voice of EDDIE IZZARD), is becoming more popular than him, and thus hopes that Dr. Glickenstein can concoct something to best him. Unfortunately for him, the evil scientist has recently perished in one of his experiments, but Igor sees that as his chance to create something under the guise of his late master. Accordingly, and with the help of Scamper and Brain, he creates a towering Frankenstein type monster, assembled from a hodgepodge of parts, including an evil bone that will make it the most feared being in the land. But Igor is shocked when the bone doesn't work and his creation is subjected to acting theory, thus turning his monster into the sweet-natured Eva (voice of MOLLY SHANNON) who dreams of being a starlet From that point on, Igor scrambles to activate her evil bone to turn her bad, all while Dr. Schadenfreude and his shape-shifting assistant, Jaclyn (voice of JENNIFER COOLIDGE), sometimes also seen as Heidi (voice of JENNIFER COOLIDGE), try to get their hands on Eva in order to overthrow King Malbert and take over Malaria. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Since it's a computer-animated comedy about monsters and such, it's a good bet a fair number will be interested. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some thematic elements, scary images, action and mild language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: IGOR is the long-suffering assistant and frustrated inventor who gets his chance to show his stuff when his master meets an early demise. He creates Eva to be a terrifying monster, but is horrified when she turns out to be a sweet, aspiring starlet. He then tries to activate her evilness, but ends up falling for her instead. EVA is his creation, a towering monster assembled from mismatched parts who turns out to be a benign being who desires to become an actress. SCAMPER is one of Igor's early creations, a sardonic and suicidal bunny who's afflicted by immortality. BRAIN is another of those creations, a brain in a jar who isn't terribly bright. DR. SCHADENFREUDE is the land's champion evil scientist who wants to overthrow the king and hopes to use Eva to do that. JACLYN is his girlfriend who can shape-shift into HEIDI, a cleavage-revealing character who tries to seduce Igor in order to distract him. KING MALBERT is the ruler of the land who came up with the scheme to extort the rest of the world lest Malaria unleash its evil creations on them. He's tired of Dr. Schadenfreude and wants to make sure he doesn't win the latest invention competition. DR. GLICKENSTEIN is Igor's master who's bad at what he does and cruel to his assistant. 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 animated comedy that's been rated PG. Profanity consists of a minor expletive, while some religious and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexual (but non-explicit) content is present, as are views of computer-animated cleavage, and an invisible male character makes comments about wearing nothing below the waist (but obviously nothing is seen). Violence consists of several comedy-based deaths, and repeated suicidal attempts that don't last due to the character being immortal. There's also the striking of others and slapstick style material. Those scenes, moments of potential peril, and some visuals of monsters and the like might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers, but probably no one else, especially since most everything is played for comedy. Some behavior (including suicidal attempts played for comedy) might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while there's some brief alcohol content, but no viewed consumption. Crude/scatological humor is present, as is some brief gore played for comedy, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes 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. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's camera movement (including bouncy and swinging back and forth views, especially during frantic action) in several scenes. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Jaclyn and Dr. Schadenfreude hold drinks of some sort. Dr. Schadenfreude and Igor have tropical drinks, but no consumption is seen, and Igor is uncomfortable with all of this. BLOOD/GORE Igor tells his master that he was in the bathroom where he had a bat stuck in the belfry, adding, "If you know what I mean." Dr. Glickenstein responds that he doesn't care about his bathroom behavior. About King Malbert, Dr. Schadenfreude says he wants to "shove a pickle where the sun doesn't shine." About Dr. Schadenfreude being the number one evil scientist, King Malbert says he wants to rub his face "in number two" (meaning excrement). Brain is a visible brain in a jar, while Eva's brain is briefly seen in several scenes. A greeting card explodes when opened, blowing a hole through Scamper's head. We then see it quickly grow back together, including a gooey looking brain or other membrane growing. About being thrashed about in his jar during a chase scene, Brain states that he's getting "jar sick" (but nothing happens). Brain states that he thinks he just wet himself. A TV host states that "Honkers the gassy monkey" will be on his show, but we never see him. With both of them trapped inside a hot tub under the cover, Dr. Schadenfreude's servant says he now knows the Jacuzzi is not a bathroom. Igor, Scamper and Brain end up hanging by their feet from a conveyor belt of sorts headed for the "recycling" center that's really a bunch of fiery blades slamming together at the end of their path. The belt stops, however, and Scamper states that he gnawed off his feet to escape and throw the lever. We then see his severed feet still up there, with bone sticking out from both. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE To generate money, King Malbert came up with the idea of evil inventions and then blackmailing the world not to unleash them Igors are not allowed to invent, but since Igor always wanted to be an evil scientist, he's broken the rules and done so in secret. Dr. Glickenstein is mean, demeaning and physically abusive to Igor, his assistant. Jaclyn wears baby seal boots where the baby seals are still alive. Some viewers might not like a play on a famous poster. Along with "Hang in there baby," there's a cartoon kitten with a noose around its neck. Heidi has a bad attitude toward Igor. Dr. Schadenfreude steals Igor's plans for Eva. Heidi tells Eva that the latter looks like she was put together in a junkyard and adds, "You have a very ugly face." Dr. Schadenfreude states that he wants to kill the king and thus take over that role. Heidi tries kissing on Igor, all so that Eva sees that and will think he's off the market. At the same time, Dr. Schadenfreude lies to her about that very matter. Heidi tells Igor, "Look at you, you're hideous." We learn that King Malbert lied to everyone and has a machine that keeps Malaria permanently enveloped in thick clouds. Scamper notes that a blind orphan girl is wearing an outfit backwards and starts to ask, "What, are you blind?" but then realizes she is. Those orphans then start singing a song that has the lines, "I can see clearly now the rain is gone," etc. (some viewers might not like either joke). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers but probably few if any others. Igor inserts a needle into Eva's hand (before she's brought to life). Igor, Scamper and Brain realize Igor's monster is missing, and they appear nervous. The enormous Eva then roars and crashes back through a wall. The three then go to an orphanage for blind girls where they hear screaming, but when they go inside, they realize the screams are of glee, with Eva giving the orphans "rides" up into the air. Eva then appears to be reaching for Igor, but is really just grabbing flowers. In a bit of "brain washing," Eva is shown images of a woman screaming (from what looks like an old, black and white horror film). Eva lets out a bloodcurdling scream, but is just practicing her acting. Dr. Schadenfreude repeatedly fires a shrink ray at Igor and the carriage in which he's transporting Eva. During this, both carriages end up jumping a ravine, with Dr. Schadenfreude ending up short, but landing below the lip and then continuing the chase. Dr. Schadenfreude's shrink ray is reflected and hits him and his carriage (with a rat then slowly checking them out), while Igor and his friends end up dangling over a precipice, fall a bit and then dangle again before Eva pulls them up to safety. Igor, Scamper and Brain end up hanging by their feet from a conveyor belt of sorts headed for the "recycling" center that's really a bunch of fiery blades slamming together at the end of their path. The belt stops, however, and Scamper states that he gnawed off his feet to escape and throw the lever. We then see his severed feet still up there, with bone sticking out from both. Dr. Schadenfreude gets Eva to push him back to a wall, thus activating the evil bone earlier placed in her. Her eyes then glow and she turns monstrous. Igor falls a long way, with a rope snagging his leg at the last moment. But the rope comes untied up top and he falls again, crashing hard to a curved roof. It's possible some of the evil inventions, monstrous in form, might be unsettling and/or scary to some younger kids. GUNS/WEAPONS We see Scamper with lit dynamite in his mouth in a cabinet. The doors are closed and there's an explosion, but since he's immortal, the damage to him is only brief. To test her being indestructible, Igor fires some sort of gun at her, with the "bullet" ricocheting around the room until it hits Scamper, knocking him back (but he's okay after that). Dr. Schadenfreude repeatedly fires a shrink ray at Igor and the carriage in which he's transporting Eva. Mad that Brain goofed up Eva's brainwashing, Igor comes at him with an ax, but this is played for comedy. Dr. Schadenfreude holds a gun of some sort on Igor who throws hot coals onto him. The gun fires several times, but misses Igor. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Had a bat stuck in the belfry, if you know what I mean" (a bathroom reference), "You cretin," "Mr. smarty hunch," "Dang it," "Conniving wretch," "I want to shove a pickle where the sun doesn't shine," "You fool," "...and rub his face in number two," "I'm not an idiot," "What now, genius?" "Go suck your brain," "What the /heck is that?" "What, are you an imbecile?" "Buzz off," "Shut your cake-hole, darling," "I think I just wet myself," "Goes nuts," "Honkers the gassy monkey," "What the hay?" "I'm all thumbs," "You have a very ugly face," "Get off me, you buffoon," "Psycho girlfriend," "This isn't even the sexiest me," "Look at you, you're hideous," "Totally au naturel," "You're pathetic," "You're an ugly monster," "Bring me back a toy" and "What, are you blind?" Scamper repeatedly tries to kill himself, but since he's immortal that doesn't work. As this is played for comedy, some kids might get the wrong impression about such behavior and try something similar themselves. Dr. Schadenfreude flamboyant demeanor and/or style of dress might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Scamper repeatedly bangs a rock to his own head. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful, dramatic and some action-based music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 damn, 5 uses of "Oh my God" and 2 uses of "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn take turns slapping his servant, with both being aroused by that. He grabs her by the waist and pulls her to him, with her stocking-covered leg up alongside him. Heidi shows a lot of cleavage in a low-cut, push-up top (seen in several scenes). We briefly see old, black and white footage of a woman dancing in something resembling a bikini top. An invisible TV host makes note that he isn't wearing any pants, and then says he's scratching his invisible butt (we see the motion there, but obviously no contact). After Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn get into a brief tiff where the former says that at least his servant shaves his legs (referring to them being stuck together in a hot tub under the closed cover), the servant starts slapping himself, thinking Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn will be doing that as before to arouse themselves/each other. Jaclyn shows cleavage. Jaclyn pops some sort of magic pill that allows her to transform into Heidi and then back again. As Heidi, she states, "This isn't even the sexiest me." Heidi (still sporting cleavage) tries kissing on Igor, all so that Eva sees that and will think he's off the market. At the same time, Dr. Schadenfreude lies to her about that very matter. The invisible TV host states he's invisible and "au natural" (but, of course, nothing is seen). SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Scamper repeatedly tries to kill himself, but since he's immortal that doesn't work. As this is played for comedy, some kids might get the wrong impression about such behavior and try something similar themselves. The attempts to create life. The comment that everyone has an evil bone in their body, but some choose not to use it. The Frankenstein story and its many incarnations. VIOLENCE Most of the following is played for cartoon style comedy, thus lessening the severity of the content (and thus the category rating). Dr. Glickenstein throws Igor across the room and floor like a bowling ball, with him crashing into stuff on the far side. We see Scamper with lit dynamite in his mouth in a cabinet. The doors are closed and there's an explosion, but since he's immortal, the damage to him is only brief. He then drinks poison, but it similarly doesn't permanently hurt him. Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn take turns slapping his servant, with both being aroused by that. Dr. Glickenstein throws a transistor at Igor, hitting him on the head. Dr. Glickenstein's latest invention, a rocket of some sort, explodes, killing him. We don't see the actual death, but see his severed mechanical arm on the floor. King Malbert thrashes Igor about. Scamper slaps Igor. Lightning strikes Scamper, frying him, but he's okay moments later. Brain is knocked aside by accident. To test her being indestructible, Igor fires some sort of gun at her, with the "bullet" ricocheting around the room until it hits Scamper, knocking him back (but he's okay after that). Scamper blasts Brain aside. A greeting card explodes when opened, blowing a hole through Scamper's head. We then see it quickly grow back together, including a gooey looking brain or other membrane growing. Dr. Schadenfreude repeatedly fires a shrink ray at Igor and the carriage in which he's transporting Eva. Mad that Brain goofed up Eva's brainwashing, Igor comes at him with an ax, but this is played for comedy. Scamper repeatedly bangs a rock to his own head. Eva causes some property damage on a stage while spinning about at the end of a musical number. Brain accidentally cuts off Scamper's hand with scissors, but of course it grows back. Eva accidentally breaks a piano while leaning down on it. Dr. Schadenfreude holds a gun of some sort on Igor who throws hot coals onto him. The gun fires several times, but misses Igor who uses something to knock Dr. Schadenfreude back into a hot tub where the cover then slides closed over him. After Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn get into a brief tiff where the former says that at least his servant shaves his legs (referring to them being stuck together in a hot tub under the closed cover), the servant starts slapping himself, thinking Dr. Schadenfreude and Jaclyn will be doing that as before to arouse themselves/each other. Eva accidentally falls down some steps and rolls over Igor at the bottom. King Malbert's men toss Igor down a chute sending him to the Igor recycling plant. Brain hits Igor on the head with a "necklace" to motivate him. Igor, Scamper and Brain end up hanging by their feet from a conveyor belt of sorts headed for the "recycling" center that's really a bunch of fiery blades slamming together at the end of their path. The belt stops, however, and Scamper states that he gnawed off his feet to escape and throw the lever. We then see his severed feet still up there, with bone sticking out from both. Dr. Schadenfreude gets Eva to push him back to a wall, thus activating the evil bone earlier placed in her. Her eyes then glow and she turns monstrous. She then Eva destroys all of the other evil inventions and starts yanking down parts of the stadium. Dr. Schadenfreude throws King Malbert from his king's box. Scamper bites a power cable, and thus is shocked but okay, to short out a device. A large device falls and lands on King Malbert, crushing him (we don't see the impact). Eva stomps hard on the ground, causing Dr. Schadenfreude to fall from the king's box and land on his head. Reviewed September 13, 2009 / Posted September 19, 2009

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