Every good animated movie is a satire of some sort. Shrek made fun of fairy tales, Toy Story joked about toys, Finding Nemo laughed at fish, and Over The Hedge, the latest project from the masterminds at DreamWorks, insults suburbia and the couch potatoes that inhibit it. The simple plot is about one racoon's quest to restore a bear's post-hibernation supply of food, so he enlists the work of a "family" of forest creatures to forage from their newly discovered next door neighbors, the suburbanites. Be not fooled however, what lies beneath this colorful (and wonderful animated) exterior is a vicious and mean satire, older adults may find themselves alternatly cringing as they laugh.
When the movie relaxes into twisted-comedy it is at its best but for the majority of the time you'll be wondering just if this movie was intended for kids. Don't worry though, there is plenty of reason for them to see it. From the slapstick hijinks of a misguided exterminator (Thomas Haden Church) to the marvelously voiced cast that includes Bruce Willis, Wanda Sykes, Steve Carrel, Allison Janney, and William Shatner there are plenty of giggle moments as well as high-brow humor (and the afore-mentioned satire) to appease the moms of the bunch.
The heartwarming hook of this movie is how family cares for one another and it's well-done here. I wish though that if there is a sequel the writers tone down the crazed insults just a tiny bit and we might have a classic on par with say...Shrek on our hands.
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