Scare comedies are never easy. You have to do two very different things, get the audience scared and make them laugh. Each is hard enough on its own; finding the right balance is the real trick.
"Monster House" falls, but falls on the right side of the fence, for a kid's movie anyway. Director Gil Kenan and his writing team overwork the laughs, leaving you with a shaggy-dog "Goosebumps" story about a carnivorous old house and a trio of unlikely pre-teen friends who team up to take it down.
DJ is a boy on the cusp of puberty, beginning to feel too old for trick- or-treating when Halloween comes along. But trick-or-treating is very much on his mind, as he discovers a dark secret about an old house across the street: It's alive, and it's hungry!
Since it's designed for a younger demographic, it's hard to complain about a mildly funny comedy that leaves me flat in the story-and-thrills department. It amuses, in part because of some sharp moments in the script and in part because it captures a sense of suburban preteen life, when one begins to think like an adult without being required to act like one. I think the film is set in the early 1980s, with old coin-operated video games and Olivia Newton-John on the car radio, so I felt more at home watching this than expected.
I liked the banter between DJ and his pal, Chowder, likable dorks who find their friendship tested both by the house and by the appearance of the pretty-but-snobby Jenny. "Normally I don't spend time with guys like you, but a house just tried to eat me so you've got one hour," she tells them.
Despite funny lines like this, I found it hard sitting still during the big finale, when we learn the secret of the house's ornery owner, Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi). Though it's an animated film, Buscemi and the other actors doesn't just voice their roles but act them out using the same "motion-capture" process pioneered on "The Polar Express." It's an interesting technology, though the animation isn't quite there yet here. All the characters seem to have influenza and severe dental issues, and move stiffly and unnaturally at times.
The big problem is the story; it's basically the title premise and some build-up with patchy logic. Adults don't believe anything is wrong until they find themselves on the wrong side of the welcome mat, yet their disappearances seem to pass without notice. Much of the action occurs either on a quiet street and in a vacant lot, where no one seems to notice the screaming, explosions and other activity. Normally I'd be concerned about a homicidal house on the rampage, but it seems this Mayville place may have bigger problems not discussed in the script.
I don't think pre-teens will enjoy "Monster House" that much; I don't expect they'll identify with the characters. Smaller children will probably enjoy the wild visuals, and adults will find some humor in lines that fly over the heads of the small fry.
"Monster House" falls, but falls on the right side of the fence, for a kid's movie anyway. Director Gil Kenan and his writing team overwork the laughs, leaving you with a shaggy-dog "Goosebumps" story about a carnivorous old house and a trio of unlikely pre-teen friends who team up to take it down.
DJ is a boy on the cusp of puberty, beginning to feel too old for trick- or-treating when Halloween comes along. But trick-or-treating is very much on his mind, as he discovers a dark secret about an old house across the street: It's alive, and it's hungry!
Since it's designed for a younger demographic, it's hard to complain about a mildly funny comedy that leaves me flat in the story-and-thrills department. It amuses, in part because of some sharp moments in the script and in part because it captures a sense of suburban preteen life, when one begins to think like an adult without being required to act like one. I think the film is set in the early 1980s, with old coin-operated video games and Olivia Newton-John on the car radio, so I felt more at home watching this than expected.
I liked the banter between DJ and his pal, Chowder, likable dorks who find their friendship tested both by the house and by the appearance of the pretty-but-snobby Jenny. "Normally I don't spend time with guys like you, but a house just tried to eat me so you've got one hour," she tells them.
Despite funny lines like this, I found it hard sitting still during the big finale, when we learn the secret of the house's ornery owner, Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi). Though it's an animated film, Buscemi and the other actors doesn't just voice their roles but act them out using the same "motion-capture" process pioneered on "The Polar Express." It's an interesting technology, though the animation isn't quite there yet here. All the characters seem to have influenza and severe dental issues, and move stiffly and unnaturally at times.
The big problem is the story; it's basically the title premise and some build-up with patchy logic. Adults don't believe anything is wrong until they find themselves on the wrong side of the welcome mat, yet their disappearances seem to pass without notice. Much of the action occurs either on a quiet street and in a vacant lot, where no one seems to notice the screaming, explosions and other activity. Normally I'd be concerned about a homicidal house on the rampage, but it seems this Mayville place may have bigger problems not discussed in the script.
I don't think pre-teens will enjoy "Monster House" that much; I don't expect they'll identify with the characters. Smaller children will probably enjoy the wild visuals, and adults will find some humor in lines that fly over the heads of the small fry.