Written by:
Caolan Disini, Year 12
Title: “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” (2014)
Director: Rob Minkoff
Starring: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter
Rating: 3 stars out of 4
“Mr. Peabody
& Sherman” is a delightful and whimsical movie experience for children. It
revolves around the antics of a time-travelling billionaire genius talking dog
and his adopted son. Many laughs are to be had, elicited from children (with
the odd chuckle from adults), despite the slight dryness in humor. Thanks
to the direction of Rob Minkoff, the revival of the classic short from the
beloved Rocky and Bullwinkle Show is skillfully pulled off so
that a new generation may experience the hijinks of these two once more. But,
as a movie for everyone else, it leaves much to be desired.
The plot
focuses on the lives of the eponymous duo, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell of Modern
Family) and his son, Sherman (voiced by Max Charles). Peabody, a
glasses-wearing dog who has carried the ability to talk since birth, is very
intelligent: a fact that has prevented him from being adopted. Having adopted
an orphaned infant Sherman, he raises him as his own, teaching him things as he
would’ve learned. With the help of the WABAC, a machine he built to travel
through time, Peabody teaches Sherman history in the most accurate way
possible: by witnessing it.
Armed with his vast knowledge of history, Sherman draws the ire of his
classmate Penny Peterson (voiced by Ariel Winter) after correcting her answer
in front of the class. Penny mocks Sherman, which leads to a fight that draws
the attention of the Child Services. Peabody, concerned with what may happen to
Sherman should they reclaim him, invites Penny and her family over to dinner in
the hopes of keeping his image. However, Sherman inadvertently disobeys
Peabody’s command to keep the WABAC secret as he shows Penny how he knows so
much on history. What occurs next are a series of mishaps across time and
space, and its up to Peabody to fix the problem and learn the most important
lesson in his life: how to be a parent.
First off,
considering the marketed audience of the film, I think that “Mr. Peabody &
Sherman” fits the bill wonderfully for Dreamworks’ next best children’s movie.
Sherman’s zany personality as well as Peabody’s intelligent yet warm dialogue
can certainly entertain kids, just as it had appealed to my inner child. (Ty
Burrell’s voice fits Peabody flawlessly, in my opinion.) The simple plot
is more than enough to keep youngsters happy, and with the occasional joke
interspersed between, they’ll be utterly absorbed. The action that goes on
during the history sequences, as well as the visual eye candy as the WABAC
jumps from time period to time period, can catch the attention of even the most
inattentive child, which is more than I can say about me. Viewing this movie
through the eyes of a kid certainly kept me hooked.
However, it is
these qualities that prevent it from being truly enjoyable by all audiences.
While the relationship between Sherman and Peabody may make sense to a kid, it
is seen as more of a surreal story that is taken too seriously. In the original
segments, the father-and-son explanation is simply there just to justify why
these two hang around together; the main focus was their adventures through
time and space. However, the movie tries to stretch out a plot meant for ten
minutes and turn it into an hour-and-a-half story, forcing the screenwriters to
add character development and motivation. Here, Peabody must deal with the
trials and tribulations of being a parent, whereas Sherman has to learn how to
face the consequences of his actions! This sort of development conflicts with
their wacky nature, because as cartoon characters, they are not meant to be
taken seriously. I feel that the screenwriters could have addressed this
better, because I would’ve really liked to see a movie where the characters
stay true to their personalities.
The humor, on the other hand, while suitable for children, is more or
less a collection of the corniest puns and gags that you can find in a National
Bookstore joke book. The most memorable one, in my opinion, was when Peabody,
after leaving Ancient Egypt in the WABAC, calls himself “an old Giza”.
Seriously. In addition, slapstick comedy was used to a great extent; watching
the scene where Peabody tries his attempt at humor by falling face-first, while
not cringe-worthy, was pretty hard to laugh at. The bits of comedy I found
amusing were the adult in-jokes (an offhand remark about Oedipus’ house being
awkward to hang out in during the holidays) and, surprisingly, the campy
dialogue. While still a cartoon, the film was too serious at times. For
example, in the heated yet memorable exchange between Mr. Peabody and the Child
Services officer, Ms. Grunion, Ms. Grunion asks, “Do I make myself clear?”
Peabody looks up, wipes his glasses, and replies, “Crystal.” Despite the
serious tone, Peabody had me chuckling with how out of place his statement was
in a children’s movie.
“Mr. Peabody
& Sherman,” which sadly does not keep the promise of staying true to the
original, is still chockfull of enough action and jokes to warrant a viewing.
Although not being the best of movies to go see, it is still a delightful treat
for anybody under the age of 12 to watch.
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