Family film about owls maybe not a "Hoot"?

By Maria Miranda
The Collegian

So the question the title begs to ask: Is “HOOT” a hoot? The answer: sometimes, at least when the teenage actors aren’t required to show too much emotion.

But the film does have admirable qualities. The Florida scenery alone makes the movie worth watching.

Lush woods, sandy beaches and exotic wildlife decorate the background, almost outweighing the unsteady acting of the main characters.

All the main characters except for the owls that is— the owls never miss a beat.

“HOOT,” based on the children’s book by Carl Hiaasen, is essentially a “Scooby Doo” mystery with an after-school-special ending. The mystery at hand: who is the strange boy who runs around town with no shoes on?

This is what new kid in town, Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman of “The Patriot”), must find out. He needs to know so desperately he chases the boy for miles, but to no avail.

Eberhardt eventually tracks down the shoeless kid but only to stumble across a new plot twist. There are endangered owls living in burrows on a construction site meant to become a pancake house.

This is the main theme of the film. Plot twists pocketed with mediocre acting.

The mediocre acting begins with the shoeless boy. Shoeless boy is called Mullet Fingers (Cody Linley, “Cheaper By the Dozen”) and is never given an actual name throughout the entire film.

In a scene where he is supposed to be hurt, he moans like a kid trying to con his mom into letting him stay home from school. It’s unrealistic and almost painful to see on the big screen.

But Linley does have one great attribute — he has an amazing tan.

The rest of the characters had an easier time with the scenes and even managed witty dialogue on occasion. When Eberhardt is asked by his parents to write an apology letter for punching a bully in the face (best part of the whole movie), he responds “I can write the letter, but who’ll help him read it?” The line is perfectly delivered with just the right amount of sarcasm.

As for the supporting characters, many were funny enough to overshadow the average acting. Tim Blake Nelson (“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) played Curly Branitt, the foreman at the pancake house construction site. He is just a foreman should be with a bulging belly, no hair, bad teeth and a nice southern twang to his voice. All Branitt had to do was speak to have the audience in hysterics.

Luke Wilson (“Old School”) also played an entertaining supporting character. As Officer Delinko, an inept wannabe detective, he caused more havoc than good. On one occasion, he fell asleep in his squad car only to wake up with the windows spray painted black. As punishment, Delinko must drive a tiny, Tonka truck type vehicle around, becoming the laughing stock of the department.

Such support turns the film around and outweighs the occasional bad acting. It’s quirky humor, beautiful scenery and very tiny, very cute burrowing owls essentially makes it a good, clean family film.

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