SacramentoStealth

An entertaining, informative movie with great computer graphics, superb camera work and marvelous narration by the syrupy voice of Pierce Brosnan. It held the attention of not only two 30-something adults, but three kids aged 7, 5 and 4. What more needs to be said? Highly recommended.

Have you noticed with most kids movies you can check your brain at the door if you're older than 13? (The same observation can be made of a lot of adult movies too.) Thankfully that's not the case with Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Yes, it's silly enough to entertain the youngsters, but it also has a witty, sardonic edge that can enthrall the most jaded adult, an A-list cast with cameos by old guard faves like Carl Reiner and Jonathan Winters, and copious use of the 1970s Supertramp single "Dreamer." What more do you need?

DeNiro, always a delight to watch, looks like he's having fun, particularly with his send-up of the classic Taxi Driver "Are you talking to me?" scene. Rather than playing the role of Fearless Leader as broad camp, DeNiro keeps the character within the boundaries of straight comedy and thus remains a reasonable threat. After all, we've suspended disbelief regarding flying squirrels and walking mooses -- the master villain can't be unduly silly, or the piece falls apart.

Where we need unduly silly are in our foils Boris and Natasha, and Jason Alexander and Renee Russo do not disappoint. It's tough to play a cartoon character believably yet remain true to the original interpretation. Alexander and Russo maintain perfect balance walking that tightrope and deliver entertaining performances.

My 5 year old insisted that we give this movie a 10. I would have been more comfortable with an 8, but either way we're toward the top end of the scale. No, it's not going to sweep the Oscars or replace any of the Top 100 AFI films, but you can slip away from the world for an enjoyable 100 minutes. Isn't that why we go to movies in the first place?