Delayed Reaction: The Witches

Premise: A young boy who is turned into a mouse fights a coven of witches staying at his hotel with the help of his grandmother.

 

I don't know the Roald Dahl novel. I don't know the 1990 movie either. So, I can't say how closely this movie sticks to either. All I can say is that this is definitely a kid’s movie. I watched this because why wouldn't I watch a movie with Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, and Stanley Tucci; especially one that lets Hathaway go as big as she wants? It became quickly clear though that this movie wasn't that concerned with all-age appeal.

 

I like the oddness. This very much is Robert Zemeckis' attempt to blend his Death Becomes Her quirk with his kid-friendly sensibilities from more recent movies like The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. I think it somewhat works. This movie is weird. The witches look odd, like the concoction of a child's imagination. Chris Rock's narration weaves between sounding like a personal narrative and folklore. I even appreciate the darkness of the kids never getting turned back into humans after becoming mice. Mostly though, I love all the choices Hathaway is making throughout. They don't all work, but they sure are fun to watch. Every Oscar winner should be allowed one role like this so they can get it out of their system.

 

OK. I think I've been appropriately nice enough. Now I can say that I really just didn't care for this movie. It certainly didn't feel like it was concerned with appealing to me as an audience (which is fine). I would've liked a little more wit to the movie. I think the secret sauce to turning a "kids movie" into a "family movie" is realizing that it's fine to put in jokes that will go over a kid's head. The movie feels a little forgettable, and worse, anonymous. This barely even registers as a Robert Zemeckis movie. It could've been made by nearly any competent director the same way. Frankly, your appreciation of this movie will only go as far as Hathaway's performance takes you. For me, that was not quite far enough.

 

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend