RATING: 1/5
When comes to holiday-themed genre, Christmas movies quickly springs to mind. But Easter? Not really. In fact, rarely has a Easter-themed movie found in Hollywood and that alone becomes a charming novelty for Tim Hill's new comedy, HOP. Unfortunately the novelty stops there as Tim Hill, responsible for the box-office hit but terribly annoying ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS (2007), returns with a juvenile CG-heavy comedy that is painfully tedious.
The movie begins in the Easter Island where its iconic monolithic stone statues is actually a secret headquarters of candy-and-chocolate making factory. The reigning elder rabbit (voiced by Hugh Laurie) who has been overseeing the Easter Day for decades, is ready to pass the torch to his only son E.B. (Russell Brand). But E.B. doesn't want to follow his father's footsteps as his interest lies more onto drumming and dream to make it big in Hollywood. So he decides to run away from the Easter Island, and head for - where else - Hollywood to try his luck.
Meanwhile, Fred O'Hare (James Marsden) has been an outcast among his family that his parents (Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins) are getting fed up of watching him slacking around without a job and ends up being kicked out of the house. Luckily his sister, Sam (Kaley Cuoco) sympathizes him and gives Fred the key to her boss' Hollywood Hills mansion that she's supposed to be housesitting. On the night he drives to the place, he accidentally runs over E.B. Sensing that the rabbit is dying, he intends to end up his life by crushing him with a boulder but freaks out when he learns the rabbit is able to speak. Of course, E.B. ends up following him and begs him for a place to live.
Back in Easter Island, the second-in-command chick named Carlos (Hank Azaria) is hoping that the elder rabbit will give him the title as the Easter Bunny ever since the disappearance of E.B. But the elder rabbit wants his son to be found at all cost, and so he unleash his trio of pink beret-wearing mercenaries to get the job done.
Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch and Cinco Paul's screenplay is nothing original or creative at all. Instead it's the same old tired formula you often seen in a listless CG-heavy comedy. Not to mention all the laziness the way HOP is executed here (e.g. the poorly-executed finale is among them). The jokes are mostly pedestrian, and the morality undertones about "chasing your dream" and "believing in yourself" are executed at the most cliched way imaginable. Tim Hill's direction, as always, is operatic and lackluster.
Perhaps the only saving grace is the playful leads. Russell Brand lends an adorable vocal talent as the rebellious rabbit E.B. He is equally balanced with James Marsden, who make quite an impression as a cartoon-like character.
Other than that, HOP is a roadkill.