Scott LeBrun
Based on the comic strip by Michael Fry and T. Lewis, this is a loud & lively animated comedy brimming with endearing characters, and some laugh out loud gags. Bruce Willis, back in the days when he still seemed to give a damn, is nicely cast as the voice of R.J., a conniving, self serving raccoon who foolishly tries to steal the food supply of a bear named Vincent (voice of Nick Nolte). When the stash is demolished, R.J. ropes a troupe of foraging forest critters into helping him find a replacement stash. And he believes there will be easy pickings when they go "over the hedge" and into the suburban sprawl that is encroaching upon their wilderness.It is thanks to the success of "Toy Story" from a decade previous that a formula got perfected in this sort of entertainment, with some bright and cutting humor for adults to enjoy. It's not subtle about its criticisms of suburban life, but some people might not mind. And, although it may be rather too intense for the youngest of your family members, kids are more than likely to really take to the critter characters. Some of the humor may be obvious, but it does still work. There is even a sort of nod to Pepe Le Pew cartoons as our heroes give Stella the skunk (voice of Wanda Sykes) a makeover in order to pull the wool over a pet cats' (voice of Omid Djalili) eyes.The animation is slick and first rate, and there's plenty of peppy music in the form of a score by Rupert Gregson-Williams and songs by Ben Folds.The all star main voice cast also includes William Shatner as a possum who's appropriately hammy when he fakes death, a hilarious Garry Shandling as Verne the turtle, Steve Carell as a crazed squirrel named Hammy, Thomas Haden Church as a lunkhead exterminator, Allison Janney as a neighborhood busybody, Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara as porcupine parents, and pop star Avril Lavigne as the possum daughter.Quite entertaining overall, especially the way that it continues with gags through the closing credits.One of the brightest bits for this viewer was the way that R.J. educated his newfound friends on the way that humans worship food and give it such predominance in their lives.Eight out of 10.
oktellme
I quite enjoyed the prequels. Not so the actual movie.It reminds me of the "good ole days" of violent cartoons and limit animation.This movie was so full of violence, I could hardly watch. And tho the animation wasn't as bad as the old days, it still left a lot to be desired.Some other reviewers found good life lessons to be learned here. Frankly, I couldn't involve myself in the story line enough to see them.Basically, hibernating animals awake one spring to find their environment has been altered. Some cute lines and interactions. They are whipped into teamwork by a raccoon with ulterior motives. They do battle for the garbage leavings of a householder who is terrified of wild animals. She hires an exterminator. There ensures violence and property damage. Great for anyone who enjoys seeing things blown up. I don't.
rbn_lrk-1
2006 was a good year for animation. But some were forgotten like Over the Hedge. Over the Hedge had many hits on Fanfiction.net at that time. The raccoon RJ ends at an angry bear that wants his food back. Nick Nolte suits the villain bear good. So RJ ends up with some other suburb animals that don't know he is hanging around with a bear. But at the end the bear shows up, and hunts the innocent animals up. It ends with a chase along the so colorful and lovely suburb. Stay at the end credits. There could had been green light for more movies if it was a bigger success, but now go to the fan fictions instead. Ben Folds plays the Curious George like playful songs. Even if the movie is not anything big I recommend it for a rent for the whole family. An all star cast save this movie.8/10
Syl
The animation is quite brilliant and the voices of stars like Allison Janney, Bruce Willis, Thomas Haden Church, Wanda Sykes, Garry Shandling, and Steve Carrell only enhances the film. They play the roles of chipmunk, skunk, squirrel, a bear, and humans in the film. I have to say that the humans were deliciously fun to watch. The woman played by Allison Janney is a typical suburbanite with a deep seeded hatred for pests and rodents in particular. She contacts the exterminator played wonderfully by Thomas Haden Church in the role. Their voices add to the characters. Anyway, she sets up an elaborate system where nothing can live in her backyard. Anyway, the animals that live nearby in the hedge are humanized with voices to develop their character senses. There is a lot of adventure in the film and you wouldn't be human if you didn't want to see the animals win this time. It's a wild ride!
AD
