Eric
Middleton
4/26/13
Sorrento:
Review Writing
Last
Column Review: Shark Tale
Finding Oscar
“Oscar, the Shark
Slayer.” Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? In the world of the deep blue sea,
one would think Oscar would be this muscled up whale with a grizzled look on
his face. But in fact, Oscar is a harmless fish portrayed by Will Smith in the
animated movie, Shark tale. The movie is about Oscar’s wish to become rich
and famous being granted. Smith channels his early Fresh Prince days in this
role as the character is really immature. Oscar has serious wishes of the
fame/fortune, but unfortunately, is comical in the way he approaches his work
and overall life in general. Like Willy Loman’s tragic character in Death of A
Salesman, Oscar uses too much time fantasizing. Fortunately, luck is able to
save Oscar’s life when he discovers the sharks.
This
is what will bring us to my final column review. My previous entries have
talked about setting and growing up within the mob. Shark Tale does an excellent job at looking at the family of a
mobster. Don Lino (DeNiro) is the old Vito Corelone like godfather shark who
has intentions of giving his family business up to his sons. The problem is
that one of Lino’s sons isn’t shown as worthy enough to take over the business.
Here the audience is able to learn a lesson that personality must be passed on
from generation to generation. The mafia requires hyper masculinity and no sensitivity.
Lenny (Jack Black), Lino’s son, can’t
even bring himself to eat a shrimp. He comically swipes all the shrimps off the
dinner table when his father demands that he eats it. The audience also learns
about tough love from a father as Don Lino refuses to give up on his son. He loves him, but he wants him to change. In
a lot of ways, the movie is a battle between patriarchy and enlightenment.
Lenny represents the new age way of independence seeking. There are some
homo-sexual innuendos that come from Lenny’s lack of aggression. On the other
hand, Don Lino represents the old way of father knows best thinking. Lenny
is thrown in Oscar’s problem as he
exiles himself and it is up to Oscar to do the slaying of the rift that separates
a father and a son.
The
movie works so well because of the real arks and storylines that each character
has. Everyone in the movie changes by the time the credits are shown on screen.
The comedy is very much more of a satirical like one. It’s great to see a movie that puts such a
high value on morals. Oscar and Don Lino had to turn their backs on their
fortunes in order to maintain love. From
here we see the humanization of the gangster and the potential for growth that
remains prevalent. Unlike many other mob
flicks that are long, this movie checks in at about an hour and 30 minutes.
A
three director team of Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron, and Rob Letterman lead this
charge for shark tale. They do a brilliant job of coming up with a city that
resembles New York City in a lot of ways. Some characters may come off as
stereotypical, but they are portrayed in a manner that reflects the diversity
of the acting cast. No characters are ever demeaning because they each reflect
a strong possibility of being able to change.
The facial movements worked well with the a-list acting that was
provided.
Shark Tale, is just a fun ride for the
whole family. The morality of the movie is not shoved down the viewer’s throat
and it serves as a nice underline or highlight to just pure comedy. Fans of
mafia films will be able to rejoice in the excellent blending of genres that Shark Tale is. Over time, this is a
movie that should gain a cult like following for its ambition.
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