Ever since I was a kid, I've had a thing for monkeys and apes. Perhaps that's due to growing up with the TV show "Lancelot Link," the original "Planet of the Apes" films, that old barrel of monkeys game and a local shoe store at Azalea Mall that for reasons beyond me had several small monkeys on display in their storefront window.
How curious then that I had little if any experience with or knowledge of Curious George. Maybe I simply had no exposure with the original books written by H.A. and Margret Rey starting back in 1941 and continuing through many more editions. Then again, if I did at some point in my childhood, I have no recollection of doing so.
Kids who see the new big screen adaptation of the title character and the Man in the Yellow Hat might have the same reaction in years to come, as this is a somewhat cute if completely forgettable film in a sea of more noteworthy offerings for children.
I realize there are millions of fans out there who enjoy the antics of the mischievous monkey, which, in reality, is actually a chimp and thus an ape. Biological and scientific classification aside, that very adulation might make them a bit more accepting of this film's old-fashioned storytelling style.
For everyone else, however, this is innocent and innocuous material aimed only at the pre-school set and few others. Things are appropriately colorful and cute, with a little bit of adventure thrown in for good measure, and I'm sure the target audience will eat it up.
That's especially true, as they'll identify -- in any number of ways, mostly subconscious -- with the title character as a symbol of unrepressed childhood. Curious George manages to get away with mischievous behavior (his talent here seems to lie in hand painting) that they know they can't, and thus they get to experience such "naughtiness" vicariously through him. There are even a bunch of folksy message songs (by Jack Johnson) even if their lyrics won't likely register with kids. That young kid-centric approach is all fine and dandy, but what about the rest of us?
Well, director Matthew O'Callaghan -- who works from a screenplay adaptation by Ken Kaufman -- seems to recognize the fact that moms and/or dads will be in tow or at least nearby when the title hits home video. Accordingly, the plot actually focuses more on TMITYH -- given the name of Ted here -- than the title character who, for better or worse, has been turned into something of a comedic sidekick. Although the story starts with a musical montage showing George interacting with his natural surroundings, it then transfers most of its energies to the museum worker turned would-be archaeologist.
That would be okay if Ted were interesting or engaging in some fashion, but he isn't and Will Ferrell simply can't bring any sort of life to him via his vocal performance. The same holds true for Drew Barrymore voicing a teacher in a romantic subplot that goes nowhere; Dick Van Dyke as the head of the museum; David Cross as his scheming adult son; or Eugene Levy as an inventor in another subplot that doesn't feel congruous with the story's original themes and origins.
Younger viewers might enjoy the film's "adventurous" and comical moments, but beyond the possible nostalgia factor, the only things for adults are the inevitable "King Kong" references, and the assuring notion that things haven't been made unnecessarily sexy or crude just to meet today's usual "standards" for children's entertainment.
That said, younger and older viewers alike might just take a cue from the film's advertisements of "Show me the monkey!" (a play on the money line from "Jerry Maguire"). After all, that's what the stories have always been about -- the little guy being told to behave and then getting into all sorts of trouble when unsupervised -- but curiously, there just isn't that much of that present. And what is doesn't show a great deal of creativity or imagination.
It's almost as if the filmmakers were so concerned with keeping things as innocuous as possible that they kept their imagination in check as well. Don't get me wrong -- there's nothing inherently incorrect and certainly not bad with such an approach. It's just that this film -- especially when compared to the likes of what outfits like Pixar can deliver to appease most all viewers with one shot -- comes off as rather boring.
Fine for the little ones and possibly serving as a taste of nostalgia for older fans of the original works, "Curious George" gets the job done of likely entertaining the little ones. Yet, it will probably serve as a sleep aide for everyone else, especially since the title character has been relegated to the unfortunate status of second banana to a bland persona somewhat dressed like one. The film rates as a 4.5 out of 10.
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