Free Birds

Grade: C-

As much pleasure as it gives me to “see” an actor play against type in an animated film, I get an equal amount of displeasure when somebody well-known is doing exactly the type of role they’re well-known for. We can’t see them, so why not think outside the box and use them inventively? The new film Free Birds has an example of both extremes. Guess who voices the meek outsider, who turns out to be the unlikely hero. Owen Wilson! On the flip side, I thoroughly enjoyed the terrific work done by an “unrecognizable” (so to speak) Woody Harrelson as one intense, dominating quirky turkey. He infuses Free Birds with more zest, verve, and personality than it deserves. The movie shows the most heart and promise in the beginning, before anything significant really happens, then becomes populated by too many characters, lessons, and false climaxes to the point where I stopped caring before the halfway point. I didn’t check before I wrote this, but whatever the running time is, it’s too long. Don’t bother with this one. Less is more. But hey, the silver lining in this (for my playbook) is that I did get to once again see the trailer for The Lego Movie.

Grade: C-