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Over the Hedge | 2006 | PG | - 2.3.2

A hedge becomes the gateway to a strange world for a few woodland friends: After waking up from their long winter's nap, several animals discover that a tall, green thing has suddenly appeared in the middle of their home. A raccoon (Bruce Willis provides the voice) explains that in the world beyond creatures called humans live, and they have tons of food. Also with the voices of Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner and Avril Lavigne. Directed by Tim Johnson & Karey Kirkpatrick. [1:36]

SEX/NUDITY 2 - While trying to disguise a skunk, a cork is shown and we hear the skunk scream while it is presumably inserted in its backside (to prevent it from spraying). Several animals sit on the ground and bend over acting as if they are going to lick their private parts (their tongues are sticking out).
 When a male turtle's shell comes off in two scenes its bare buttocks are exposed and in one scene it holds a cookie over its front. A woman's pajama top is slightly low-cut and reveals part of her chest, but no cleavage.
 A male cat and a female skunk hug, and a male cat and a female skunk flirt.
 A raccoon tells a skunk that it will have to use its "feminine charms" to distract a cat. An animal tells several other animals to give their "privates a good licking." A squirrel asks for help to "find my nuts" and later talks about "finding my nuts." A turtle talks about its "tail tingling" (when it thinks something might be dangerous).

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A woman tries to kill several animals using a weed whacker and a man uses an electrified prod. A woman kicks a possum, and it is thrown into a wall and falls to the floor still (we briefly think that it is dead, but it is OK).
 A bear lunges at several animals, they dodge, and the bear lands on a man and a woman: we see a bright glowing beam, we hear a scream and we see the bear, the man, and a woman smoldering in a cage and missing most of their hair. A large bear is shown in several scenes with pointed claws and teeth and a scary, deep voice.
 A woman punches and kicks a few police officers. A woman is caught in an animal trap (her feet are wrapped in netting and she falls to the floor). A squirrel pretending to be rabid is attacked by two girls; they hit it with a book, and then spray it with pepper spray.
 A bear attacks a truck as it speeds out of control along a road, and it tries to get a raccoon and in the process tears the roof off the truck; the bear is then struck by a replica of a man swinging a mallet, a porcupine sends tines into the bear's nose, the bear is pulled off the truck when it is caught in the ropes of large balloons, and the truck flips and crashes into a house.
 We hear a thud and see a possum on the street in front of a truck (although uninjured it plays dead). Several animals are afraid when they think a turtle has been eaten by a large hedge (the turtle is fine). A man shoots a pink flamingo replica and its head is knocked off. A squirrel crosses a wire above a yard that is rigged with traps.
 A dragonfly flies into a bug zapper; it is zapped, turned to ash and falls to the ground. A dog picks up a turtle in its mouth and shakes it back and forth (the turtle is OK).
 A truck runs into a wagon filled with food, a raccoon slams onto the windshield of the truck, the driver slams on the brakes, and animals in cages in the back of the truck are thrown and the cages open. Several animals are caught in traps and put in cages (they are all afraid). A truck speeds toward a raccoon in the road, and drives right over it (the raccoon is uninjured).
 A bear wakes up to find a raccoon stealing its possessions, and the bear says, "I'm gonna have to kill you," it chases the raccoon, catches it and holds it in the air by the head; the bear then opens its mouth wide but does not eat the raccoon. A dog chases a raccoon and a turtle, the two break through a fence, they are launched into the air, and they float downward while holding an umbrella; then a propane tank hits a car, it explodes and sends burning shrapnel into the air, which burns through the umbrella and the two animals fall to the ground (they are OK).
 A raccoon talks about "the weed whacker incident" taking his family away. A raccoon has a nightmare about a bear eating it.
 A replica of a man on top of a truck moves and swings a mallet down onto the head of a replica rabbit. Traps are set to kill animals and they are tested on animal replicas (we see them being sliced in half, charred and trapped in a cage).
 A cooler falls off the roof of a car and lands on a turtle, pushing it into the street. Several animals run into a glass door. A raccoon falls from a tall shelf and lands on the floor, and a bottle falls from the shelf and shatters near the raccoon.
 A turtle is sprayed by a sprinkler, nearly pierced by barbecue utensils (including a knife and fork), nearly run over by a bicycle and struck with a hockey stick (although uninjured, the turtle is shaken up). Quills are propelled off porcupines and they nearly pierce a turtle and a raccoon.
 A turtle is caught up in the brushes of a street sweeper machine and is spun around and flung out, missing its shell.
 A raccoon sneaks past a sleeping bear, rifles through things loudly, and flings itself back over the bear trying to get out before the bear wakes up. Animals talk about human housing developments encroaching on their habitat and are afraid that they will no longer be able to find enough food to survive.
 Several animals sit on the ground and bend over acting as if they are going to lick their private parts (their tongues are sticking out) in order to scare a woman; she screams, she swings a broom at them and the animals run. Three possum children tackle their father to the ground.
 A raccoon pulls itself up a rock wall using a fishing line and enters a bear's den. A possum is hit on the head by a wad of snow, it falls on the ground and acts dead.
 A turtle talks about its "tail tingling" when it thinks something might be dangerous. A turtle picks up a used diaper and smells it as if it is food. Several animals are afraid of a very tall hedge. A skunk talks about having kept something in all winter and that it's about to come out scaring several other animals out of a pile of leaves covering a log.
 A raccoon pounds on a vending machine trying to free a bag of chips (it kicks the machine and hurts its paw, and it hits it with a golf club). A turtle is appalled when it sees a boy whack a turtle shaped piñata with a bat.
 A skunk sprays a house (we see a green fog) and a woman gags and vomits (we hear her retching). A turtle is frightened by something and says, "I may need to change my shell." A squirrel burps loudly in a few scenes. An animal tells several other animals to give their "privates a good licking." Animals eat sticks and bark.
 A raccoon makes reference to humans "having food out the wazoo" and other animals try to figure out what the "wazoo" is.

LANGUAGE 2 - 2 scatological terms (1 mild), 3 anatomical terms including innuendo as in a squirrel looking for its "nuts," 1 mild obscenity, name-calling (vermin, stupid, ignorant, scoundrel, dirt-bag).

SUBSTANCE USE - Animals drink a caffeinated beverage and it makes them all move much faster.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Hibernation, family, human encroachment on animal habitats, human greed, human obsession with food, the future, jealousy, leadership, extinction, interspecies relationships, starvation.

MESSAGE - Family is everything.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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