MOVIE OF THE WEEK (1/14/2011): THE GREEN HORNET
Credit: Jaimie Trueblood. © 2010 Columbia Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour and Tom Wilkinson
WRITER: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg (screenplay); George W. Trendle (original radio series)
DIRECTOR: Michel Gondry
WEB SITE: GreenHornetMovie.com/
THE PLOT: The latest movie to enter the fray of (or, in most cases, supposedly) 3D entertainment, The Green Hornet features Seth Rogen as Britt Reid, the son of Los Angeles' most prominent newspaper mogul (Tom Wilkinson). A male equivalent of Paris Hilton who could easily hang with the cast of The Jersey Shore, Britt is pretty much like most of Seth Rogen's characters: A good times slacker who really just doesn't care about anything in particular and since Britt has money, doesn't really have to.
Reality painfully smacks Britt in the face, however, when his father dies after an apparent allergic reaction to a bee sting. Unable to even make coffee properly by himself, Britt strikes up an likely friendship with his father's right hand man, Kato (Jay Chou), who is handy at a lot more than just making a good cup of joe. While his new secretary (Cameron Diaz) helps to ease his transition into his father's role as the boss at the paper, Britt wants to do something more meaningful with his life.
Seeing how his father was always tough on crime - hence the reason he supported the election of local D.A. Frank Scanlon (David Harbour) - Britt, with Kato's assistance hatches a plan: Get close to criminals by posing like criminals themselves, complete with masks, gadgets and a sweet ride.
And with Benjamin "Bloodnofsky" Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) looking to take over all crime in the city, Britt and Kato will have plenty of bad guys to keep their hands full ...
THE TAKE: When you pair a unique director like Michel Gondry together with a duo like Rogen and co-writer Evan Goldberg, you are bound to not get your standard issue superhero fare. In the case of The Green Hornet, that is actually a good thing as the result is much more humorous and entertaining than one might expect.
In an age where most of our heroes are now complex, brooding figures with dark pasts, Hornet instead goes more the route of 2010's other "average guy" superhero flick Kick-Ass, except with more of a party atmosphere throughout the flick. If Kick-Ass was more a flipping of Spider-Man for the teen set about a kid without powers trying to be a hero once he saw the need, Hornet is Batman if he were a 20-something slacker trying to finally make good and have a good time while doing so.
Despite a trailer that looks as if every joke in the film is so juvenile that it's insulting to your intelligence, Hornet finds a way to merge the humor most commonly found in Judd Apatow's films with, for lack of a better word, heart. Likewise, while the characters are a bit goofy in all capacities, they acknowledge their silliness in such a manner that you never feel like they are stupid for the sake of a joke. (I'm looking at YOU, Dinner For Schmucks!)
While Chou serves himself well by never giving into any potential stereotypes his character could fall victim to, Waltz does a great job at making his bad guy anything but standard fare, which adds to your overall enjoyment. Gondry keeps things moving along at a snappy, visually intriguing pace, but never goes into a level where it becomes as artsy as say The Science of Sleep, which keeps it accessible for everyone. Be forewarned, however, that the film REALLY pushes its PG-13 rating, so don't be surprised if there are a few gasps by surprised parents around you. (This might be worth an unrated Blu Ray release to see what they had to cut out.)
PARTING SHOT: If you are looking for a superhero movie that focuses more on laughs and camaraderie more than muscles and deep, emotional characters, The Green Hornet will likely have you feeling pretty good your decision to hit the multiplex.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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