'Hop' Is A Seasonal Treat

“Hop” is a frothy, seasonal treat that kids will love and parents will tolerate without too much trouble. The plot line is predictable, and the script is mediocre, but -- E.B.’s antics (E.B. is short for Easter Bunny) are enough to keep your little ones giggling throughout. 

The film features cutie James Marsden as a Gen Y slacker, whose yearlong bout of unemployment is fraying his parents’ last nerve. I always feel bad for grown actors in movies such as these. Imagining Jamie (I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I called him Jamie) pantomiming annoyance and wonder in the direction of what will eventually be an animated rabbit … I don’t know. Then again, I’m sure one glance at his pay stub would have me thinking otherwise.

Marsden’s character, Fred, is set up as someone who has been fascinated by Easter ever since he was a child; when he spied the big bunny himself arrive Easter morning via chick-drawn sleigh. Yes, sleigh. Santa, much? Santa’s entire arc is pretty much plundered in this film – with a little Willy Wonka on the side. Prepare yourself.

But back to Fred: When his parents finally oust him from his cozy nest, his sister hooks him up with a house-sitting gig in posh Beverly Hills. On his way he nearly runs over E.B., the heir to the Easter Empire.

E.B. (voiced by an impish Russell Brand) has been raised to think of nothing but chocolate, marshmallows and jellybeans – in fact, the sequence in which we are introduced to the Easter candy factory is probably one of the highlights of the film – but in his heart, he longs for nothing more than to sit behind a drum set and jam.  His desire to abdicate brings him to sunny Los Angeles and his eventual meet-cute with Fred.

Mild entertainment ensues. E.B.’s dad sends “the pink berets” – a trio of Charlie’s Angel-ish fighting bunnies – after his son, who, meanwhile, is living it up in Los Angeles and scoring auditions with the Hoff. (Yes, that’s David Hasselhoff.) Everything leads up to the moment in which Fred makes history, becoming the first-ever human Easter Bunny.

Oh. I’m sorry. Did that ruin the movie for you? Yeah, it kinda ruined it for me, too. That little nugget of info is disclosed right at the top of the show, by Fred himself, as he narrates the opening sequence.

Thanks. Thanks a lot, writers. Maybe if the film had even one shred of suspense, it would be a little more engaging. In any case, here’s “Hop”-ing you enjoy it. (Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself.)

“Hop” is playing at 2 p.m.; 4:30 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. at the AMC Tilghman 8, 4608 Broadway, South Whitehall.