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| A pleasant enough trifle. "Innocuous" certainly comes to mind, as does "unoffensive." I think we’ve all seen Hugh Grant play this character better in other films, and it certainly represents a step back from his work in About a Boy. But, there is something comforting about this style of romantic comedy. It is an archetype of a movie, one in which nothing is unexpected, nothing is challenging to the viewer, and in the end, a perfectly fine time is had by all. There are occasional sparkles of dialogue, but for the most part, machinations take the place of emotion. Oh, and Sandra Bullock is fun to look at. | |
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| Disney offered this movie up to America; America politely said "no thanks," and moved on about its business. I think it has more to do with the concept than the execution. Who asked for Treasure Island in Space? Was this really a story that was dying to be told? That, plus the choice to use a very 90’s archetype, the angst-filled rebellious teen (complete with angsty, soulful rock guitar songs from a Goo Goo Doll and cool "extreme" skysurfing moves rotoscoped straight out of ESPN’s lamentable X-Games) seemed to doom this project from the start. In fact, it’s not all that bad, although the pacing is certain erratic, and I can’t imagine what the Disney powers-that-be were thinking when they approved the idea of a character who speaks "flatula." Moronic and out of place, it’s a one-joke premise that overstays its welcome. The end of the movie, say, the last third, really does move, and is quite exciting. Emma Thompson does some nice voice work as a sprightly feline starship captain, but Martin Short, apparently playing a robotic distillation of every previous Martin Short character, comes up, uh, short. Call this one an admirable attempt with some basic flaws in premise that kept it from being truly good. |
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