Skip to content
PAUL'S TRIP TO THE MOVIES
Primary Navigation Menu
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • The Archives
  • Interviews with the Cast and Crew
  • “HALLOWEEN” RETROSPECTIVE – 40 Years of Terror
  • EVERYBODY IS STILL A SUSPECT: A LOOK BACK AT SCREAM
  • THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE
  • The Bond, James Bond Challenge
  • MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
  • Home
  • MY DEFINITIVE RANKING OF BATMAN ON THE BIG SCREEN

Movie Review: HOME

By Paul McGuire Grimes
On March 27, 2015
In Movie Reviews
Tagged Dreamworks Animation, Home, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Parsons, Matt Jones, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Tim Johnson

HOME
Director: Tim Johnson
Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones

Home1

Many people thought DreamWorks Animation would have taken home the Oscar this past February for their hit How to Train Your Dragon 2. They lost to Disney’s Big Hero 6, and I’m pretty sure they won’t be feeling that much love for their latest film, Home. It’s moving day for the alien species known as Boov as they leave their planet behind and head to Earth in an attempt to hide from their enemy, Gorg. All of the humans are sucked up and transported to another area known as “Happy Humantown” except for a little girl named Tip (Rihanna) and her cat who have managed to hide and avoid capture. Oh (Parsons) is a very energetic and excited Boov, but what he doesn’t realize is that most Boovs find him annoying. He gets his name by the reaction he gets whenever he enters a room. The other Boovs sigh in disappointment that Oh has popped up again.

Home2

He thinks moving day is the “best day ever” and decides to throw a party and invite his friends to his new apartment. His excitement level is off the charts causing him to make the mistake of sending the invitation with his address out to everyone in the galaxy, which points the Gorg to their secret location. Oh becomes a banished Boov and tries to escape the clutches of the evil Captain Smek (Martin) only to run into Tip at a convenience store. An unlikely friendship forms between them when Oh decides to help Tip find her mom (Lopez) who has been taken by the Boov. They head out on a road trip to the “Great Antenna” (the Eiffel Tower) where Boov headquarters are to track down the location of Tip’s mom.

Home3

I always like it when I can recognize an actor’s voice right away when I’m watching an animated film. That’s not to say that they are doing a lazy job if they haven’t morphed their voice into fitting a character, but then I don’t sit there wracking my brain trying to put a face to a voice. It’s very clear right away that Oh is voiced by the talented and funny Jim Parsons. I just wish I could use those words to describe him here. Audiences have gotten to know Parson’s alter ego Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory” very well. Now just picture Sheldon more annoying and energetic and you can hear the voice of Oh without even going to the movie. Oh also speaks with poor grammar. I started to lose tolerance for our main character very early on. The grammar part especially bugs me when I think kids may try to mimic Oh. Maybe that’s the adult in me as I am sure that young kids will eat it up and find it funny.

Home4

Younger moviegoers will probably get a kick out of Tip and her feisty cat. Lending her voice to the independent young girl is Rihanna. This is her second major movie role after 2012’s Battleship, and it’s apparent she doesn’t quite have the acting chops yet. The character seems very much catered toward her as they both are from Barbados and have a pop/hip-hop vibe to them. Rihanna also provides a lot of music in the movie with multiple songs on the soundtrack including new tracks and her mega hit “Only Girl (In the World)”. Jennifer Lopez who voices Tip’s mother also provides a ballad to the soundtrack. While I enjoy the music of both of tem, it seems a bit self-serving to have their music also featured throughout the movie. Again, something that bugs me but the target audience will not even pick up on it.

Home5

I sat through Home pretty bored most of the time. I didn’t find it all that clever or funny and realized it’s the kind of animated movie where the humor is very catered towards little kids. It’s very evident in the writing of Oh. It doesn’t have that intelligence or wit to challenge kids and entertain parents at the same time. DreamWorks has been able to successfully do that in the past, but Home neglects to add that extra dimension. I will say that there are some nice themes about understanding and celebrating other cultures, but you have to put up with some exhausting characters and dumb jokes along the way.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Young kids will probably like it, but the parents will probably be bored and annoyed.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

2015-03-27
Previous Post: Movie Review: GET HARD
Next Post: Movie Trailer: SPECTRE

Archives

Follow Me on Social Media!

Twin Cities Live 4/29/22 – Singin’ In The Rain, Celebrating the Movie Musical

https://youtu.be/rN16CxGkYTw

Paul McGuire Grimes Talent Reel – Film Critic and Entertainment Reporter

https://youtu.be/iCDyIyYVYKA

Movie Reviews

Lightyear- 3 Ticket Stubs, In theaters
Cha Cha Real Smooth- 4 Ticket Stubs, In theaters, AppleTV+
Fire Island- 4 Ticket Stubs, Hulu
Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
Top Gun: Maverick- 4.5 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters
Downton Abbey: A New Era - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, In theaters
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness- 2.5 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - 4 Ticket Stubs, In theaters
The Northman- 4 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters
The Bad Guys - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, In theaters
Ambulance- 3.5 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters
The Bubble - 2 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Everything Everywhere All At Once- 4.5 Ticket Stubs, In Theaters

Streaming TV Reviews

Ms. Marvel - 3 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
Heartstopper - 4.5 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
The Offer - 3 Ticket Stubs, Paramount+
Ozark Season 4, Part 2 - 4 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Anatomy of a Scandal - 4 Ticket Stubs, Netflix
Slow Horses - 3.5 Ticket Stubs, AppleTV+
Moon Knight - 4 Ticket Stubs, Disney+
WeCrashed - 4 Ticket Stubs, AppleTV+

TOP GUN: MAVERICK Cast Interviews | Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly on Cruise

https://youtu.be/x_YfGebKuK8

Alexander Skarsgård Interview – THE NORTHMAN, Working with Nicole Kidman and Robert Eggers

https://youtu.be/3iqa-ST3eAI

“Beautiful Boy” Q&A with Timothée Chalamet & Nic Sheff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIPQIu04c9Q

Archives

  • Retrospectives
    • THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE
      • MY DEFINITIVE RANKING OF BATMAN ON THE BIG SCREEN
    • MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe – Phase Four
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase Three
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase Two
      • Marvel Cinematic Universe-Phase One
      • X-MEN
    • Stand By Me (1986)
    • The Bond, James Bond Challenge
    • “HALLOWEEN” RETROSPECTIVE – 40 Years of Terror
    • EVERYBODY IS STILL A SUSPECT: A LOOK BACK AT SCREAM
  • Interviews with the Cast and Crew
  • Home Releases – New on BluRay, DVD, and Streaming
  • The Archives
  • Marvel
  • Home

Designed using Chromatic. Powered by WordPress.