Mania Grade: B-

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Info:

• Starring the Voices of: Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Leslie Mann, Jake T. Austin, George Lopez, will.i.am and Jamie Foxx
• Written by: Carlos Saldanha and Don Rhymer
• Directed by: Carlos Saldanha
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Rating: G
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Series:

Mania Review: Rio

Rio
© 20th Century Fox/Robert Trate

 Rio settles itself solidly into “worthwhile” territory without venturing past the merely serviceable. It attaches itself to a basic concept -- a domesticated parrot who never learned how to fly returning to the land of his birth – and then does just enough to make it worth our while. The tropes are predictable, the visual palette forgettable, but it retains sufficient interest to keep our eyes from wandering too far.

Credit for most of it goes to the two main characters: Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) who grew up in a little Minnesota town doted upon by his owner and Jewel (voiced by Anne Hathaway), a wild jungle parrot captured for breeding purposes by a benevolent ornithologist (voiced by Jake T. Austin). The two are the last of their kind in the world, meaning they need to knock boots (or rather claws) if their species is to survive. Blu and his owner take a plane to Rio, under the assurance that nothing could go wrong.

Guess what? Something goes wrong, as poachers abduct the two parrots for sale to parties unknown. Chained together and not especially thrilled by the notion, they need to work together to escape their captors, while Blu’s owner begins a frantic search and Blu himself takes the first halting steps towards actual flight.

It’s good enough for government work, and the bickering duo in the center of it all prove to be a lot of fun. Hathaway dials up the bitchiness just enough to add some sand to her character, without detracting from Jewel’s feisty spirit or winning independence. Eisenberg makes an enjoyable counterpunch: a nebbish drenched in flop sweat who just wants to someone to take him back home and give him a cup of hot cocoa. Rio plays up their mutual dilemma to great effect, creating a storyline that -- while hardly original -- provides a real rooting interest from beginning to end. As long as the film stays focused on them, it has no problems.

The principal subplot doesn’t do as well, focusing on Blu’s owner Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann) and the Brazilian ornithologist trying to track down their birds. It contains a nice message about the responsibilities of pet ownership and a few modest sight gags, but largely serves as an excuse to showcase the setting. That causes troubles as well. Though colorful and lively, the landscape comes across as horribly sanitized: like a movie set more than a vibrant location, which an animated film should be able to deliver with ease. The tourist-friendly locales and bland dips into South American culture feel lazy and rehashed… to say nothing of the fact that the “local” birds all speak with U.S. accents.

In fact, most of the film seems unwilling to make the extra effort. Anyone who owns a parrot (and I’m one of them) can tell you that they’re comedy gold mines, but Rio passes up chance after chance to take full advantage of it. The bland setting and routine plot carry us along, but don’t strive for anything different or even imaginative. You can almost count the beats when the off-color grown-up joke will arrive, followed by more family friendly fare to reassure the kiddies. To its credit, it never descends into toilet humor, and the script is clever enough so that you don’t notice the all-too rare “G” rating, but the film’s resolute refusal to rise above formula eventually becomes frustrating.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. The vocal performances justify those above-the-title credits, and while decidedly unmemorable, the plot still moves along at a brisk pace. You may forget about it by the time you hit the parking lot, but at least you won’t be muttering curses at the Hollywood oligarchs under your breath. The kids at the screening I attended remained rapt throughout and their parents had quiet smiles on their faces as the credits rolled. Frankly speaking, Rio doesn’t require anything more to recommend it. Would that its creators aimed just a little bit higher.