Hop is a great movie for the whole family. It's simple enough for the little ones to understand, yet it has enough laughs and "grownup" jokes so the older kids in us are amused as well. There are a few areas that don't really make sense, but you just have to overlook those. If you're looking for some early Easter fun, this is a great choice.
The Plot:
The current Easter Bunny (voiced by Hugh Laurie) is getting ready to retire and his son must take his place as the heir to the Easter throne. Only E.B (Russel Brand) doesn't want to be the Easter Bunny, he want to drum in a band, so he leaves Easter Island and sets his sights for Hollywood. In his search for a place to live, he runs into Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), a grown man who is restless and who can't hold down a job. After some initial hesitation on Fred's part, the two become friends and together learn a big lesson about responsibility and living up to your potential.
The Good:
The movie doesn't try to take itself too seriously. Director Tim Hill knows this is a fluffy little movie about a fluffy little Easter Bunny -- and it pretty much remains that way from start to finish. If you don't take it too seriously or expect any life-altering revelations, you will enjoy this film.
James Marsden is incredibly charming and fun in his role as Fred O'Hare. He has the appropriate initial reaction to a talking bunny, which is disbelief and complete confusion -- exactly what the audience would expect because it would probably be their reaction too. He knows how to make a movie funny and his facial expressions are priceless. He also has good chemistry with an animated bunny!
Russel Brand does a great job as E.B., even if we only hear his voice. He delivers his lines with a great amount of charm and his voice make the CG animated bunny come to life. Marsden and Brand also work well off each other and create funny and entertaining dialogue throughout the film.
The Bad:
E.B. is a little annoying. Though Brand delivered the lines well, the character itself comes across as a complete pain and sometimes even unlovable (although it's hard to resist his cute face). There is a particular scene where Fred loses a potential job because E.B. can't seem to explain what's going on (he's having a mini-crisis) - not cool, E.B., not cool.
The film a bit slow to actually get started. We see too much of E.B. and Fred when they're little and it seems to take forever for the two to meet in present day. The movie isn't actually that long, but it could have started off a little quicker. We learn at the very beginning of the film that Fred ends up becoming the Easter Bunny (it's at the beginning, I didn't give anything away!), but it takes forever for us to even see him acknowledge this and start training to become the Easter Bunny. It would have been funnier if they made that the central theme, instead of throwing in random elements for a couple of laughs.
One of the major jokes in the film is the fact that E.B. poops jelly beans, which might have been cute and funny in theory, but it was more uncomfortable and gross, especially the part when Kaley Cuoco's character, Sam, eats one of the poop jelly beans. It's hard to get past the fact that it's supposed to be the Easter Bunny's bowel movements. Funny in theory, but not on the big screen.
Overall, Hop proves to have a bit of Easter magic and is a great way to get into the Easter season - as long as you don't take it too seriously!