First Posted: 3/31/2015
The Story
“Among Boovs,” says alien Oh (voice of Jim Parsons), “nine mistakes and you are out.” “What number are you?” says seventh-grader Gratuity Tucci, aka Tip (voice of Rihanna). “Sixty-two,” says Oh. “I do not fit in; I fit out.” Unlikely friends, Oh and Tip are on a quest. He, to find a home for himself and all other Boovs. She, to find her mother, relocated — somewhere — by the Boovs. That’s the setup for this kid-friendly animated flick.
Will Tip reunite with her mom (Jennifer Lopez)? Is Oh “erased” by Boov leader, Captain Smek (Steve Martin)? Will kids like this colorful action sci-fi adventure? Take someone under 10 along and find out.
The Actors
Jim Parsons and Rihanna are voices of central characters Oh and Tip. He’s purple — but changes color depending on his feelings. He’s also earnest, well-meaning, but clueless about earthlings. “Humans are more complicated,” he says, “than it said in the pamphlet.” Running from their enemy, the Gorg (Brian Stepanek), Boovs have been invading planet after planet, looking for a home without success. The Gorg always finds them. “It’s never too late to run away,” elderly Boovs say. Tip agrees: “You guys,” she says, “are really good at running away.”
Tip is a smart, no-nonsense 12 year old, not easily distracted from searching for her mother who (this is not a spoiler) is in Australia’s outback. “You don’t ever leave your family,” she says. That’s something Oh needs to learn.
Others in the cast include Steve Martin as Captain Smek, leader of the Boovs: “We are doomed!” he says. “Run away!” Jennifer Lopez is Tip’s absent mother, Lucy. Matt Jones is Oh’s only friend, Kyle.
Other Comments
“Home” is a colorful, computer-animated action flick, with (by my count) seven separate bathroom jokes; youngsters loved them all. Kids also enjoyed the goofy action and dancing. For adults, there’s not much more than a few visual references to other (better) films: “Jurassic Park” (1993), “Titanic” (1997) and “Inception” (2010). Like all quest movies, “Home” tells us that destination (finding mom) is less important after all, than the journey itself, during which Tip and Oh learn important lessons from each other. “I am thinking now we were wrong when Boovs were thinking humans are stupid,” says Oh.
Rated PG for mild action and rude humor, “Home” runs 94 minutes but, for adults, may seem longer. “E.T.” (1982) is way better.
Final Words
Kid couple, “Oh” and “Tip,”
Seeking “Home” on their trip;
Under 10? You’ll laugh a lot;
Older folks? Probably not.
