`Shark Tale’

By: Chris Hewitt, Knight Ridder Newspaper
Posted In: Opinion

“Shark Tale” isn’t a movie. It’s leftovers.

The best animated films feel timeless and original, but “Shark Tale” is stapled together from dozens of hip-hop and movie references: “Finding Nemo,” “Goodfellas,” “The Godfather,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Jaws,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Car Wash,” even “Apocalypse Now.” It’s like a karaoke machine that spits out random references, and you find yourself thinking, “Not another `You had me at hello’ joke. `Shark Tale,’ you lost me at `You had me.'”

The movie is about as deep as algae: A lazy fish named Oscar (voice of Will Smith) learns that “everything I wanted was right in front of me the whole time.” Sound familiar? Early in the film, Oscar gets credit for killing a shark (Jack Black) who’s a vegetarian _ sound familiar? _ but then the shark turns up and he, Oscar and Oscar’s sometimes girlfriend (Renee Zellweger) hatch a plan to pretend the shark is dead, ensuring his safety from his mob family and Oscar’s continued notoriety.

There’s probably enough there for a decent animated movie. But, unlike recent classics such as “Nemo” or “Chicken Run,” “Shark Tale” doesn’t make the effort to connect its characters to emotions and behaviors that feel real. Oscar, for instance, longs to be famous, but the movie doesn’t care what it is that’s missing in his life that drives him to that elusive goal.

I chuckled at “Shark Tale” a couple of times, but the crass product tie-ins and outdated references (an MC Hammer joke?) ensure the film is dead in the water. In fact, how’s this for a movie reference? “Shark Tale” sleeps with the fishes.