Paperaxle Reviews "Rio"

Well, I really wanted to like this film. I can't really explain why I didn't.

Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is the last blue macaw in the world. As a baby, he was smuggled from his home in sunny Rio de Janeiro and left alone in snowy Moose Lake, Minnesota, where he is adopted by a young girl, Linda (Leslie Mann).

Fifteen years later, a biologist from Rio de Janeiro tracks down Blu and asks Linda if he can use Blu to mate with the last female blue macaw in the world, Jewel (Anne Hathaway) to repopulate the species. Linda obliges, tales Blu to Rio to meet Jewel and they are both kidnapped by a cockatoo named Nigel and delivered to some smugglers... is this review sounding just as bad to me as it is to you?

The macaws escape from the smugglers, and spend the rest of the 96 minute movie trying to get Blu back to Linda, but since Blu doesn't know how to fly, it makes things difficult. They meet up with Rafael (played by George Lopez), a toucan who tries to teach Blu how to fly. Because the movie takes place in Rio de Janeiro, of course they're going to have the plot revolve around Carnival. And I can't make this synopsis sound any better no matter how hard I try.

There are some interesting characters that Blu and Jewel meet along the way, including a bulldog named Luiz (played by Tracy Morgan), Pedro the cardinal (Will.i.am) and Nico the canary (Jamie Foxx). So the film isn't a total loss.

I guess my problem is with Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of Blu. After seeing him in "The Social Network", I have an image of him as a total nerd who can't do comedy (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Even though he was in "Zombieland", he wasn't a standout to me. Blu comes off as rather stiff and uninteresting, and I would have rather seen someone who can bring more comedy to the character... maybe even Seth Rogen or Zach Galifinakis would have been a better choice.

The movie also seemed full of padding. When you think the movie is nearly over, along comes another twist that adds to the running time. How many times can Blu be kidnapped in an hour and a half? By my count, at least three.

The movie is bright and colorful, and children loved it. Me, I'm just flipping it the bird. Starts Friday, April 15th.