Film Review: The Nut Job

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Published on Friday, 01 August 2014 11:00

Last Updated on 31 July 2014

Carolina Kon

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The Nut Job, directed by Peter Lepeniotis and starring  Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl hits UK cinemas on 1^st August 2014.

The Nut Job is a 90 minutes PG rated family animation adventure comedy that will hit the screens just in time for the summer school holidays! It’s all about squirrels in  their nutty world and in this case specifically about an outcast squirrel, Surly (Will Arnett) who drastically changes habits from being a selfish squirrel to a generous and soft-hearted animal  due to changes in circumstances.

The story

The story is about Surly who manages to destroy the park’s only supply of food for all the animals that live within it. At this point Raccoon (Liam Neeson), the animal park’s leader decides to banish him……but at the moment no one suspects that Raccoon has a game of his own.  Surly finds a nut shop and decides to ransack it with the help of some furry friends (Brendan Fraser & Katherine Heigl).  In the meantime there are some criminals that are planning to rob a bank next door using the basement of the nut shop in order to get raid the bank via a tunnel. The story unfolds with the narrative of a hard-hearted squirrel (Surly)  who discovers a bit of love and that been a hero is not so bad after all.

The trailer

The verdict

The animation of this film is really good, but I wouldn’t have expected less from a director that worked for Disney and Pixar.

The storyline is set for the family community who can enjoy a fun-packed film with some moral settings such as the theme of team work, affection, respect and  loyalty. The latter is considered and reconsidered during the whole film as there are many doubts about certain characters, one been that of Raccoon who seems to be a good loyal friend and boss but that at the end surely is nothing like it seems.

The film ends with the ‘end-credits’ in ‘Gangnam Style’  with an animated PSY signing his famous song and the other characters of the film following along ….. seeing this was a bit of a surprise as it was somewhat unexpected but kids started singing along and jumping up and down on their seats before leaving the cinema!

Mum’s Rating : 7/10

Another active London Mum and contributor, Laura Castelli, attended the event with her two daughters and sent us her feedback.

As a London mum with 2 kids (Lilly 3 and Amelie 7) I am constantly scrutinising the best movie options to make them both happy and entertained. The Warner Brother’s The nut Job, which will be released this Friday 1st of August, certainly ticks all the boxes.

An original story
This animated action  and adventure comedy  is packed with full of “nutty” surprises and seriously funny situations which made my whole family shake with laughter. I found the story educational too, without being excessively morally correct. All the rodents contribute towards collecting and storing nuts for the winter so children learn about the winning advantages of collaboration and team spirit which can lead to individual achievements too
“Life is there for sharing, as you can discover in each of us a hero“(The nut Job)
Andie, the witty red squirrel, fully understand the importance of working for the common good and despite she becomes workaholic, all the park trusts her. She has got the capacity of leading by example without leading!
Surly, the main squirrel character who initially distrusts everybody, together with his gentle rat friend Buddy, find the the Holy gray   when a nut shop appears unexpectedly in front of their incredulous eyes. Unaware of the fact that the shop belongs to a gang of bank robbers who are using the shop as a façade to hide a tunnel to reach a Bank on the opposite side of the road, they find themselves in trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cast & more
I personally feel that one of the strengths of “The  nut job” is the contribution of the fantastic cast towards the already fantastic job of the director and writer Peter Lepeniotis. Will Arnett (Ice age 2,Lego, the piece of resistance, Teenage mutant Ninja turtles) gives voice to Surly, Katherine Heigl (The big wedding, The ugly truth)as Andie, Brendan Fraser (Escape from planet earth, Mummy 3, Journey to the center of the earth) gives life to Grayson, the narcissist but good natured grey squirrel. Just to mention a few.

This is just a glimpse of what “The nut job ” has in store for the whole family this summer. So, let yourself go nut with this amazingly hilarious nut rollercoaster.

Ratings
Mum & Dad rating: My husband and I rate the movie a solid 8/10 for story, originality, humor and constructive moral.
Kids’ rating: Lilly (3) and Amelie (7) rated the movie 9/10 for funny characters, ridiculous situations and the hilarious Gangnam style song danced by the rodents.

 

The Nut Job, is in cinemas from Friday 1st of August 2014.