Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Robert DeNiro, Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bulliwinkle J. Moose in "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Robert De Niro and Rene Russo Director: Des McAnuff Rated: PG, with cartoon violence Length: 88 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 30, 2000) -- The new comic adventures of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and his moose buddy, the delightfully dorky Bullwinkle, is a decidedly hot and cold summer offering.

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is Hollywood's latest tribute to a "golden age" TV show and is most notable because a producer and star is Robert De Niro.

After an imaginative, funny opening, Rocky and Bullwinkle settles into a road picture formula that's alternately inspired and insipid. To its credit, it's never just dull.

Apparently unable to decide whether to go live-action or animated, director Des McAnuff and writer Kenneth Lonergan give us each.

Rocky and Bullwinkle remain cartoons, even after they burst through to "the real world." (Speaking as Rocky is June Foray, the veteran who originated the voice; Keith Scott is Bullwinkle.)

Meanwhile, the antagonists -- Boris, Natasha and Fearless Leader -- switch from toons to flesh-and-blood villains. It's not clear why, except I guess it's easier for humans to play human, instead of a squirrel or a moose.

They're played, respectively, by Jason Alexander, Rene Russo and De Niro, who all bring a campy enthusiasm to their roles.

The clever opening shows the frustration and dwindling residuals of the Rocky and Bullwinkle stars 36 years after their TV show was canceled. (The show's famous off-screen narrator has been reduced to narrating his mother's cooking activities.)

Fearless Leader fights back by taking over the nation's televisions with his own network -- RBTV (Really Bad Television) -- and using boring programming to turn American citizens into zombies. He'll hypnotize them into electing him president.

The head of the FBI (Randy Quaid) assigns a rookie officer, Karen Sympathy, to enlist Rocky and Bullwinkle for the fight to save the world. Sympathy is played -- quite badly -- by Piper Perabo, an actress who seems out of her depth, (even though the part has no depth).

Fearless Leader, meanwhile, orders Boris and Natasha to eliminate the opposition, setting a cross-country chase in motion.

From that set-up, Rocky and Bullwinkle rolls out bad puns, sight gags and parodies, but they're less imaginative than those I remember from television.

Still, some bits are funny enough to maintain interest, as are amusing cameos by Whoopi Goldberg, John Goodman and Billy Crystal.

The film fails miserably, though, in an unavoidable comparison to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the 1988 live-action-cartoon combo that's superior in every way.

When I glanced at my watch at about the one-hour mark of Rocky and Bullwinkle, I remembered what made the 1959 TV show so entertaining: Rocky and Bullwinkle were on screen for only a few moments of the show's half-hour slot.

Their segments book-ended the show's true gems -- the hilarious Fractured Fairytales and Peabody's Improbable History. The show was a three-ring circus of wacky puns and silly satire.

With a little more daring, the new Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle could have offered such variety. Why not stop in the middle to give us a warped take on Rapunzel or a demented Peabody lesson about the Mayflower?

Here, the squirrel and the moose are the whole show -- and that's too much to ask of these particular mammals.