Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Mr. Peabody and Sherman is one those films that doesn’t fully reach the two sets of audience members in attendance. For kids, there are a few small minded jokes that may go over well but the overall pace is not fast or goofy enough to keep them interested. For parents, the historical references may be amusing along with feelings of nostalgia (this may apply more to grandparents) but the story is just too weak and messy to care. Mr. Peabody and Sherman is not a total disappointment but as the film moves along it becomes more and more clear that it would work better in the medium it came from: television.
In the most entertaining sequence of the film, Mr. Peabody and Sherman opens with Sherman (voiced by Max Charles) and his adoptive, genius, canine father, Mr. Peabody (voiced by Ty Burrell), finding them self’s in the midst of the French revolution after using the time traveling machine that Mr. Peabody invented, the WABAC machine to get to the time period. With things reaching such a drastic level, Mr. Peabody has to quickly escape the fatal slash of a guillotine blade before he and Sherman can return to present day.
Believe it or not, real trouble arises when the summer ends and Sherman has to go back to school. Not long into the new school year, Sherman bites classmate Penny (voiced by Ariel Winter) after she continues to torment him about his dad being a dog (yes, considering the circumstances, not the smartest thing for Sherman to do but the film makes it perfectly clear and will not let you forget that he is not the brightest). So in an effort to, patch up things between Sherman and Penny, Mr. Peabody invites Penny and her parents (voiced by Stephen Colbert and Leslie Mann) over to the house. Everything is going well until Sherman and Penny do the one thing Mr. Peabody says not to: use the WABAC.
The most enjoyable aspects of Mr. Peabody and Sherman are the historical references. I already mentioned my admiration for the opening scene that is set in the midst of the French Revolution but the involvement of some of history’s most prominent figures and moments not only adds smarts to an extremely outlandish concept but also makes for the films largest source of energy and entertainment. Leonardo da Vinci (voiced by Stanley Tucci), Mona Lisa (voiced by Lake Bell) and Albert Einstein (voiced by Mel Brooks) all make for entertaining appearances but it is King Agamemnon (voiced by Patrick Warburton) and his army in the middle of the Trojan war that’s makes for the most memorable character in the film. Yes, this could be completely contributed to the pure joy I get from hearing Warburton’s voice (his voice work in The Emperor’s New Groove should be experienced by EVERYONE and NEVER forgotten) but it is a voice that is perfect for the tough guy role not to mention the humor he and the character brings to the table hits on all levels.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman is one of those movies that can filed in the “thanks for trying” category as it clearly makes an effort to be more than just cute movie for kids but doesn’t quite pull it all together. This is not because this is a story about a brilliant dog who fathers a human boy. It’s not like we haven’t been moved before by the unreal. If living, breathing toys, wooden puppets and toasters can invoke emotion and care, then there is no reason that Mr. Peabody raising Sherman as a son can’t do the same. The problem isn’t believability of the concept, it’s how the concept is handled. The issue at hand in Mr. Peabody and Sherman is that the school that Sherman attends does not believe that Sherman can behave like a human if he is being raised by a dog. It easy to see how this would be a real concern but the problem is that the only way that it is tied into the time traveling concept is with a brief monologue about making mistakes from Sherman at the end of the film. The story may work better if the fact that a dog raising a human is seen as normal by the characters in the film and a different storyline is used to better accompany the time travel concept. In all honesty the story would work better if it only focused on time travel. The perception of Mr. Peabody and Sherman’s relationship would not be needed.
Given that the best parts of Mr. Peabody and Sherman is the historical references and that time travel storylines are over used, it is easy to come to the conclusion that this idea may be better in its original format: a television segment titled Peabody’s Improbable History. With a television or short story format, education and humor can be executed without having to wrap it into a film by tying on unrelated moral values and unneeded characters. If you really want to revive Peabody, why not bring back the television show or maybe even some kind of program that can be used in school systems. It’s not that a film version can’t work, it’s just that Mr. Peabody and Sherman is unable to pull everything together while failing to fully appeal to both children and adults.
Grade: C-
Review written by Brad Shawgo. Visit his blog, ShawGoesToTheMovies, for more great film reviews and movie posts.
Published on 3/19/2014 11:36:30 AM