Susan Granger: “THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE” (Universal)
They’re ba-a-a-a-ck! The intrepid squirrel who has a slight problem with flying (“Out of practice”) and the goofy moose who’s a few crayons short of a box – otherwise known as Rocky and Bullwinkle – are back to save the wacky world from destruction. After years of being trapped in TV animation, those villainous Soviet spies from Pottsylvania, Boris Badenov (Jason Alexander) and Natasha Fatale (Rene Russo), along with their dastardly Fearless Leader (Robert De Niro) have broken the secret code and made the leap into reality, courtesy of Minnie Mogul, a Phony movie producer (Janeane Garofalo). It seems Fearless Leader has a plan to conquer the planet by turning Americans into zombies by using really bad television broadcasting so he can unseat the President of the United States (James Rebhorn). So Rocky and Bullwinkle leave Frostbite Falls and join up with a bumbling rookie FBI agent (Piper Perabo) to come to civilization’s rescue. Based on Jay Ward’s cartoon characters, this live-action/animation adventure, written by Kenneth Lonergan and directed by Des McAnuff, has absurd slapstick for the kids and occasionally clever language humor for the adults. And fans of Robert De Niro will chuckle at his Germanic parody of his own famous “Taxi Driver” line: “Are you talkin’ to me?” June Foray still voices Rocky, while Keith Scott does Bullwinkle, along with the stentorian narrator. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jonathan Winters – in three roles – make cameo appearances. Whoopi’s even named Judge Cameo, who astutely rules: “Celebrities are above the law.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle” is a silly 6, filled with pretty punny dim-witted humor. Evil has met its moose.
