Free Birds 2013 * * * Stars

Director: Jimmy Hayward
Year: 2013
Rated PG
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, Dan Fogler

If you can get past the fact that the animation is not entirely groundbreaking (I might have thought otherwise had I seen it in 3D), then you'll still find a satisfyingly, sweet natured element to the Thanksgiving themed Free Birds. With characters voiced by the likes of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, "Birds" tells an interesting and enduring story about a band of turkeys (actual turkeys mind you) that come together to stop their species from becoming the main dinner item for thousands of future Thanksgivings. They do this by going back in time to the first day of its inaugural November inception back in 1621. Owen Wilson voices the main character who is Reggie. Reggie, who is teamed up with his polar opposite in Jake (voiced by Woody Harrelson), also falls in love with a resourceful female turkey in Jenny (Amy Poehler). The three of them along with many other of their determined kind, try to escape and outwit a band of colonel hunters led by an evil, gun toting pilgrim named Myles Standish (the sequences involving the Standish character harbor an element of cartoon violence that might have propelled the MPAA board to give this thing a PG rating).

Despite the inclusion of the intense action sequences just mentioned (they might possibly upset really young kids ages 4-5 years old) and a rather limp opening 15 minutes, this is still a pretty solid family film. Watching it, you realize that the story counts here, not the lack of eye popping special effects. The ending which I can't give away, is equally surprising and somewhat inventive. The adult humor which animation flicks add in to keep accompanying parents fitfully occupied, is good in equal bits here and there. The characters which are likable (Owen Wilson's Reggie is one you sympathize with and root for) and charismatically unlikable, don't fade in and out of the proceedings like in so many other types of computer-animated fare (with a large, varied cast).

Overall, Free Birds doesn't quite set the world on fire. It's standardized, harmless fun that does just enough to get by. It also basically adheres to the same formula as any other computed generated exercise in the last decade (complete with a plot involving an innocent/ardently chosen main character followed by a love interest, an antagonist, a couple of protagonists, and a mentor/father figure). But it did come out at the perfect time in theaters (late November of course) and subjugates itself as a outdated yet satisfyingly grave, old fashioned kids movie. I recommend seeing it unless extravagant caricatures like the 3D Frozen and mega hit Despicable Me 2 are what you prefer. Free Birds to me, is something that might have been overlooked this holiday season based on its underwhelming box office take. It's the movie equivalent of a Thanksgiving food that you might have never ate. I say how do you know you won't like it, if you've never even tried it.

Written by Jesse Burleson

The Internship 2013 * * * Stars

Director: Shawn Levy

Year: 2013

Rated PG-13

Rating: * * * Stars     Cole's Rating: * * 1/2 Stars

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson

Slated as an early June release, The Internship tells the story of two guys (wrist watch salesmen I'm thinking) who lose their jobs to the unfortunate medium of technology and decide to travel to California. Their objective: Get jobs at Google and start a new life. The two best friends (Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as Billy and Nick respectively) are much older than all the interns at the Google factory and feel out of place at first. But they inject a sort of teamwork aspect that their "Big Brother" team somewhat lacks. This sets off a chain of events and brings everybody closer to their goal of getting full time gigs at what Billy states is "the best job in America."

So after viewing The Watch (unnecessarily rated R junk) and The Dilemma (a dark and restless vehicle trying to pass off as comedy), I was a little skeptical about taking in the latest quote unquote "Vince Vaughn movie." I've been critical of this guy in the past because he relentlessly gives the same performance over and over (it started with Old School and he hasn't looked back since). As a result, I'd be lying if I said I had high expectations venturing into the theater to see The Internship. But wouldn't you know it, this film surprised me. It is a refreshing, lightweight comedy that piles on good, solid palatable laughs. Its got a lot of characters in it that win you over. And its got Owen Wilson on board to compliment his best bud Vaughn. Because of this, Vaughn automatically becomes a much more likable actor this time around. The two of them echo back to their Wedding Crashers days by basically playing the same characters (it's like their always on a mission), having sort of similar adventures (Owen gets to be smooth with the ladies again), and making all of us laugh wholeheartedly.

But let's be honest, The Internship is no masterpiece. Much of what happens in it does not permeate to real life (there's maybe a 10% chance these guys would be hired at this particular organization full of genius code breakers). This flick feels more like a fantasy than a dose of surmised reality (the term "it's only a movie" applies here like you wouldn't believe). Overall though, this motion picture just wants to have fun. It tells a good story (not a true one mind you), has an outrageous Will Ferrell cameo, and caters to the whole Vaughn/Wilson chemistry thing. And although The Internship strives to be great but comes up a little short, that's okay because it defines the word "harmless." It also has a breeziness to it that's contagious. With the exception of a little too much improvisation from the cast (they talk real fast like they're in old 50's movies), what's on screen still gets my recommendation. Reason being is that it sets a gold standard for a PG-13 laugh fast. It does this by teetering on the brink of R rated movie fare while thankfully not going over the edge. It's a welcome surprise when you can giggle and snarl in the theater without the abundance of cuss words.

With the summer movie season concluding over three months ago, The Internship doesn't quite fit the mold of a huge bloated blockbuster like we see every year (yes I'm talking about Transformers). But for what it's worth, I enjoyed myself for two straight hours. It's not easy to make a film where everything comes together perfectly (you know script, direction, editing, music, etc...). So to sum up my review, I'd say yes, this film has many flaws. But for laughable escapist entertainment, it undoubtedly does the trick.

Written by Jesse Burleson