Home (Quick Review)

DreamWorks’ Home is undoubtedly for kids, and one of their weakest animated films to date.

What’s meant to be a comically touching tale of friendship between a social outcast alien (Jim Parsons) and misfit preteen (Rihanna) ends up unfunny and childishly irritating.  The plot, humor and characters are all designed around juvenile entertainment, with minimal engaging material for the older demographics watching.  Such design is disappointing from DreamWorks Animation, which has thrived on creating films kids and adults can enjoy—whether it be comically lighthearted films with wacky premises (such as Monsters vs Aliens and Madagascar 3), darker stories which push how mature a family film can get (such as The Prince of Egypt and How to Train Your Dragon 2), or in-between films with comedic plots yet deeper themes and/or hidden innuendos (such as Shrek and Kung Fu Panda).  Of the three categories Home tries to be the first, but excluding a few courtesy chuckles, only delivers one solid laugh.  I wish I could give DreamWorks the benefit of the doubt, blame my stone face on a bad day or sore throat, but the film is resoundingly unfunny.

The aliens’ (or Boov’s) many fish out of water segments are used for cheap gags and stale, tedious jokes; the Boov’s mish-mashed English is unimaginative and been done to death within the alien genre.  Such jokes aren’t funny to begin with, and get old real fast as the film continuously uses them in a vain resolve for comedy.  Aiding Home in its humorless quest are the annoying side characters, who amplify the dull gags to new, frustrating levels.  Home’s juvenile nature likewise effects its morals, which are overly simplistic in design, yet so heavy-handed they belong in a PBS children’s show—not a fun PBS show such as Arthur, but one with sluggish pacing and painfully obvious messages such as Dragon Tales or Barney.  Home can be touching at times, and its animation provides bright, colorful eye candy (though the designers’ imaginations are quite unremarkable), but these aspects are hardly enough to warrant Home a passing grade.  Kids will most likely enjoy the film, but it’s best to view Home at home, so the adults can go do something more entertaining while it plays.