It’s interesting how few movies there are about the magic of Easter. In fact–wait, are there any? Regardless, HOP, the adorable new Easter film, would jump to the top of the list anyway.
[don’t miss the scoop on Russell Brand and James Marsden after the jump!]
HOP
is a big dish of eye candy. E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) lives on
Easter Island (get it?) with his dad, the Easter Bunny, who sounds a
whole lot like Hugh Laurie. E.B. wants to be a drummer, so when he
learns he’s in line to take over as boss bunny, he scampers off to
Hollywood where he meets Fred (James Marsden), a 30-year-old slacker
whose family stages an intervention to get him into a job. Hlarity
ensues, courtesy of a witty script that always keeps your interest.
kidlike enthusiasm for the part that’s totally infectious. In a roundtable
interview, he explained: “As soon as they asked, ‘Do you want to be the
Easter Bunny?’ They didn’t even finish asking and I said yes. At that
point they could have said, ‘holidays, bonnet.’ But it was ‘bunny’ and
it turns out it was the right decision and I liked it”
He also talked about rabbits defecating jelly beans, but referred to them as “whoopsies.” And he described a robot Easter Bunny crossed with Darth Vader that exists somewhere out there in infinity. How can you not love a guy like that?
Not going to lie, Russell Brand
is–literally–the funniest person I’ve ever met. And he will lay a big,
juicy smooch on you if you tell him so. Did I learn this from
experience? Believe it, sister. I am still blushing about it.
“They know I’m in an Easter Bunny movie and they’re excited about it,”
he said, “but they don’t know much about the plot and they don’t really
care. They act as if they thought every other kid at their school had a
dad who was an actor…” And then he added, with perfect comic timing,
“which kind of is the case.”
probably miss some plot points in HOP, but that’s okay–there’s more
than enough razzle-dazzle to make up for it. There’s nothing big and
scary (though a chick-turns-bunny mutation might cause some momentary
concern) and the music is beat-heavy and head-boppy. Be prepared to have
“Dynamite” by Taio Cruz carved into your brain for at least a week.
a sweet movie, but not saccharin–more a salted chocolate truffle than a
fluffy Peep. You’ll be able to watch the whole thing with your kids,
willingly and happily, laughing at all the stuff they get and especially
at the stuff they don’t. And the overall lessons are good ones: follow
your dreams, never forget the strength of your family and friends, music
is a powerful force to be reckoned with.-Lexi
HOP hits theaters on April 1. Also for you gamers: Get a special HOP-themed version of Doodle Jump
for free, or key in “Hop” as your screen name in the game you already
have on your iPhone.
Thanks so much for NBC Universal for including Cool
Mom Picks on the press junket. I loved the trip to LA, the Four Seasons
hotel goodies (Bvlgari shampoo is life-changing),
movie-themed cocktails (“HOPtinis,” people!), and the opportunity to
meet cast and crew. But for the record: I would have
liked the movie from my own local theater anyway.
Wasn’t he simply hilarious?? 🙂
I can’t wait to bring my children to the movie this weekend, hopefully. I know they’ll all love it, and that’s saying something since their ages range from 3 to 10!
-Dawn, 5 Minutes for Mom
My daughters are really looking forward to seeing this movie, thanks for the review!
Such a fun read! I’m feeling like I need to go raid the cupboard for candy right now!
My kids are grown, I just want to see the movie by my self.
I’m insanely jealous that you got to meet Russell Brand! I’m looking forward to taking my kids to see Hop, glad I read your review and know it’s not scary. Thanks!
Which cool mom was on the press junket? I read some terrible terrible reviews on this little film so I want to figure out whom to trust (or blame as the case may be). Russell Brand is the funny for sure.
Hi Heather. Here’s Lexi’s response:
I can vouch for it. Do I think it’s “Citizen Kane,” bunny version? No. But i took my daughter to see it–she will be 4 in June–and she giggled. She still talks about it. The parents there laughed as hard as the kids at parts I didn’t expect them to. I’ve read the reviews and you’re right, many critics trashed it. I can understand their opinions. But when I last checked Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it a pretty good score–and that’s in line with my thoughts on the flick.
Even if I had just gone to the theater a mile away, I’d have written the same review. Minus the Russell Brand smooching stuff, of course.