Hoot
Hoot is a Hoot!
I had the unexpected pleasure of previewing the new movie Hoot in its native Florida on March 31st. I will try to restrain myself from droning on and on about how beautiful Florida is. You can see for yourself on the World Wide Web. The weather is terrific (between hurricanes) and the lifestyle is simultaneously laid back and pretentious. And it’s important to understand the lifestyle of Florida in order to better appreciate the movie Hoot.
But first, I must digress. One of the most difficult aspects of reviewing a movie, in my opinion, is the necessity of crediting the talent of the film without disrupting the flow of the opinion. So let me preface my review by noting that the cast of this film is terrific. Director Wil Shriner and Producer Jimmy Buffett gathered a cast of truly talented friends and stars to make this film. So if I don’t give them due justice later, here are the kudos, right up front.
Producer Jimmy Buffet is, by all accounts, the prototypical Floridian. Keen to produce his very first motion picture, Buffett remarks that “I’m always looking for something that can be entertaining for adults who like to take their children to movies. As a father myself, I’m always learning something new from my kids every day. I’m a grownup who still possesses the heart of a child or a schoolboy. When I read this, I thought this was something unique because Carl’s writing can be enjoyed by adults as well as kids. I was an old Rocky and Bullwinkle fan. Also Beanie and Cecil. Cartoons that had a little bit of satire that were written by adults for adults, but were also funny for kids. I’m also an old Travis McGee and Elmore Leonard fan, guys like Carl who write about the unusual culture of South Florida. As a writer myself, I tried to emulate those guys in some ways. It all made for a good story. That's what I saw in Hoot.�
Hoot is delightfully faithful to the novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen. Director/Screenwriter Wil Shriner did a masterful job of bringing the story to the screen with minimal alterations. Not an easy task, it would seem, considering the large number of films that barely follow the outlines of the stories on which they are ostensibly based.
The main character in the film, Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman), is a recent transplant to Florida from his beloved Montana. His run-in with a local bully by the (rather unfortunate) name of Dana Matherson (Eric Phillips) brings him into contact with “Mullet Fingers� (convincingly played by Cody Linley), the as-yet-undiscovered vandal. Roy doesn’t know anything about him and is fascinated by the boy who can outrun the school bus, but apparently doesn’t go to school.
At the center of the story is the development of some precious Florida real estate in the fictional town of Coconut Cove. (Why there isn’t a real Coconut Cove in Florida by now is its own surprise.) The “evil� developer is the innocuous and subversively named “Mother Paula’s Pancake House.� Yep, that’s right. You thought pancakes were the great American breakfast. Au contraire, ye-who-think-all-is-well-in-America’s-mealtime! What you do see is that this particular pancake restaurant consists of 99 franchises in and around the southeastern part of the U.S. And Coconut Cove is to be number 100! A great milestone in pancakedom! Unfortunately, the site chosen for the landmark pancake house is also home to an adorable parliament of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia). The evil perpetrator of this senseless development is none other than the overly ambitious Vice President of Operations Chuck Muckle (Clark Gregg) and his hapless and surprisingly inept Construction Foreman Leroy “Curlie� Branitt (Tim Blake Nelson). Conflict arises when the construction site is vandalized by an unknown but devious person (or persons) on a daily, (or, more accurately, nightly) basis.
There are several subplots in this deceptively simple novel. I mention the novel here because Wil Shriner has done a fantastic job of being true to the storyline of the book. Honestly, this movie is the novel—not just a story based on it. I really appreciate this. One subplot consists of the unknown vandal of the construction site, and how Roy and a couple of his friends become entwined with this hooligan throughout the narrative—with comical but important consequences.
Hoot contains numerous great character actors, including Luke Wilson and Tim Blake Nelson. Other big names are Robert Wagner (Mayor), Jessica Caulfield (Mother Paula), and Kiersten Warren as Roy’s mom. It’s a great cast and a fun story.
Issues such as the importance of family, friends, sincerity, respect, and care for helpless creatures are all addressed, but not overblown. The only downfall of the movie is the necessity of compression. Visual art can only deal with so many thematic levels in a two-hour movie. Like I said before, the movie is very faithful to the book, but the book has some substantial additional themes centered around Roy’s family, teachers, friends, and enemies that cannot be explored adequately in the film. So read the book, too!
The motion picture has more than just an environmental message. (Note: no one affiliated with the movie has any subversive enviro-terrorist leanings.) They realize the inevitability of the shrinking wild habitats of Florida. The central purpose conveyed to me in interviews with Director Wil Shriner, who was raised in Florida, as well as others involved in making the film (including author Carl Hiassen) was a hope to recreate the Florida they remember before it is gone.
I took away a few reflections from this film. Many of us are protective of our families and friends, believing that controlling our immediate environment is all that matters in this world. But there is a big beautiful world out there that needs protection. This film makes a penetrating statement: that there is a need to consider the downside of “progress.� The age of the Baby Boomer coupled with the wealthy and mobile nature of American society has built Florida into long lines of high-rise condos, hotels, and enormous residences along the fragile coastline. How many more condos and hotels do we need on the beaches of Florida?
Counter to that important message, though, is the fallacy of this film: that lines can be drawn separating which creatures are important enough that humans and other species must suffer for their protection. In a sense, a bit of an environmental terrorism message is delivered. I don’t believe that is the right message. The sentiment is sound: “think before you dig.� After all, is it that important to have a pancake restaurant so far from the downtown area? Why not buy the land and donate it to the owls’ preservation, and build your restaurant in town? The Floridians would love you, and you can protect the owls because they are on your property. I’ll wager too, that the owls were just as much at risk on public land as they were in the path of a private bulldozer. But isn’t there a better way? Scripture tells us that the whole earth is subject to degradation. But we are also to be the stewards of the planet. Quite frankly, I don’t have the answers either. We should allow people to live where they want. Or eat pancakes where they like. However, I wish more of us thought through the consequences of our actions before we blindly built our dream homes, or retired to Florida so life will be more pleasant for us.
No one involved in the making of this film advocates the type of vandalism exhibited in the film. Their main goal was to show the beauty of Florida, as it was and still can be. Point taken.
I had the unexpected pleasure of previewing the new movie Hoot in its native Florida on March 31st. I will try to restrain myself from droning on and on about how beautiful Florida is. You can see for yourself on the World Wide Web. The weather is terrific (between hurricanes) and the lifestyle is simultaneously laid back and pretentious. And it’s important to understand the lifestyle of Florida in order to better appreciate the movie Hoot.
But first, I must digress. One of the most difficult aspects of reviewing a movie, in my opinion, is the necessity of crediting the talent of the film without disrupting the flow of the opinion. So let me preface my review by noting that the cast of this film is terrific. Director Wil Shriner and Producer Jimmy Buffett gathered a cast of truly talented friends and stars to make this film. So if I don’t give them due justice later, here are the kudos, right up front.Producer Jimmy Buffet is, by all accounts, the prototypical Floridian. Keen to produce his very first motion picture, Buffett remarks that “I’m always looking for something that can be entertaining for adults who like to take their children to movies. As a father myself, I’m always learning something new from my kids every day. I’m a grownup who still possesses the heart of a child or a schoolboy. When I read this, I thought this was something unique because Carl’s writing can be enjoyed by adults as well as kids. I was an old Rocky and Bullwinkle fan. Also Beanie and Cecil. Cartoons that had a little bit of satire that were written by adults for adults, but were also funny for kids. I’m also an old Travis McGee and Elmore Leonard fan, guys like Carl who write about the unusual culture of South Florida. As a writer myself, I tried to emulate those guys in some ways. It all made for a good story. That's what I saw in Hoot.�
Hoot is delightfully faithful to the novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen. Director/Screenwriter Wil Shriner did a masterful job of bringing the story to the screen with minimal alterations. Not an easy task, it would seem, considering the large number of films that barely follow the outlines of the stories on which they are ostensibly based.
The main character in the film, Roy Eberhardt (Logan Lerman), is a recent transplant to Florida from his beloved Montana. His run-in with a local bully by the (rather unfortunate) name of Dana Matherson (Eric Phillips) brings him into contact with “Mullet Fingers� (convincingly played by Cody Linley), the as-yet-undiscovered vandal. Roy doesn’t know anything about him and is fascinated by the boy who can outrun the school bus, but apparently doesn’t go to school.At the center of the story is the development of some precious Florida real estate in the fictional town of Coconut Cove. (Why there isn’t a real Coconut Cove in Florida by now is its own surprise.) The “evil� developer is the innocuous and subversively named “Mother Paula’s Pancake House.� Yep, that’s right. You thought pancakes were the great American breakfast. Au contraire, ye-who-think-all-is-well-in-America’s-mealtime! What you do see is that this particular pancake restaurant consists of 99 franchises in and around the southeastern part of the U.S. And Coconut Cove is to be number 100! A great milestone in pancakedom! Unfortunately, the site chosen for the landmark pancake house is also home to an adorable parliament of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia). The evil perpetrator of this senseless development is none other than the overly ambitious Vice President of Operations Chuck Muckle (Clark Gregg) and his hapless and surprisingly inept Construction Foreman Leroy “Curlie� Branitt (Tim Blake Nelson). Conflict arises when the construction site is vandalized by an unknown but devious person (or persons) on a daily, (or, more accurately, nightly) basis.There are several subplots in this deceptively simple novel. I mention the novel here because Wil Shriner has done a fantastic job of being true to the storyline of the book. Honestly, this movie is the novel—not just a story based on it. I really appreciate this. One subplot consists of the unknown vandal of the construction site, and how Roy and a couple of his friends become entwined with this hooligan throughout the narrative—with comical but important consequences.
Hoot contains numerous great character actors, including Luke Wilson and Tim Blake Nelson. Other big names are Robert Wagner (Mayor), Jessica Caulfield (Mother Paula), and Kiersten Warren as Roy’s mom. It’s a great cast and a fun story.Issues such as the importance of family, friends, sincerity, respect, and care for helpless creatures are all addressed, but not overblown. The only downfall of the movie is the necessity of compression. Visual art can only deal with so many thematic levels in a two-hour movie. Like I said before, the movie is very faithful to the book, but the book has some substantial additional themes centered around Roy’s family, teachers, friends, and enemies that cannot be explored adequately in the film. So read the book, too!
The motion picture has more than just an environmental message. (Note: no one affiliated with the movie has any subversive enviro-terrorist leanings.) They realize the inevitability of the shrinking wild habitats of Florida. The central purpose conveyed to me in interviews with Director Wil Shriner, who was raised in Florida, as well as others involved in making the film (including author Carl Hiassen) was a hope to recreate the Florida they remember before it is gone.I took away a few reflections from this film. Many of us are protective of our families and friends, believing that controlling our immediate environment is all that matters in this world. But there is a big beautiful world out there that needs protection. This film makes a penetrating statement: that there is a need to consider the downside of “progress.� The age of the Baby Boomer coupled with the wealthy and mobile nature of American society has built Florida into long lines of high-rise condos, hotels, and enormous residences along the fragile coastline. How many more condos and hotels do we need on the beaches of Florida?
Counter to that important message, though, is the fallacy of this film: that lines can be drawn separating which creatures are important enough that humans and other species must suffer for their protection. In a sense, a bit of an environmental terrorism message is delivered. I don’t believe that is the right message. The sentiment is sound: “think before you dig.� After all, is it that important to have a pancake restaurant so far from the downtown area? Why not buy the land and donate it to the owls’ preservation, and build your restaurant in town? The Floridians would love you, and you can protect the owls because they are on your property. I’ll wager too, that the owls were just as much at risk on public land as they were in the path of a private bulldozer. But isn’t there a better way? Scripture tells us that the whole earth is subject to degradation. But we are also to be the stewards of the planet. Quite frankly, I don’t have the answers either. We should allow people to live where they want. Or eat pancakes where they like. However, I wish more of us thought through the consequences of our actions before we blindly built our dream homes, or retired to Florida so life will be more pleasant for us.No one involved in the making of this film advocates the type of vandalism exhibited in the film. Their main goal was to show the beauty of Florida, as it was and still can be. Point taken.
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