Osmosis Jones (Film)

Title: Osmosis Jones
DVD, 2001
Starring Bill Murray and Chris Rock

One of the various movies that the librarian gave me when I asked about 'tween' titles, 'Osmosis Jones' is a film that I had never heard of and thus had no preconceived notions.

Description:

The movie is a mix between live-action and animation as Frank (played by Bill Murray) ingests a virus after eating food that he has dropped when on the job at the zoo. He explains to his daughter that the 10-minute rule was still in effect and eats the questionable piece of food. Following the germ into Frank's body, the film becomes animated and the white blood cell Osmosis Jones is on the case. Frank takes a cold medicine called zenadrix (Drix for short) and the odd-couple duo try to get to the bottom of what's making Frank sick. What is really going on is that the evil villain Thrax has infiltrated Frank's immune system and plans on taking over Frank's body. It is up to Drix and Osmosis to save Frank from his own body.

Review:

The mix of live-action and animated sequences is a really neat idea as there is an entire world inside Frank. The animation is pretty slick and the voice acting is done well, with lots of familiar voices. The movie relies heavily (far too much so) on the type of potty humor that is easily found when exploring the body. Some of it is actually pretty filthy given the movies PG rating. For most 'tweens' however, the movie poses nothing really inappropriate. The dynamic between Frank (a single father) and his daughter who is trying to get him serious about his health is the only emotionally significant portion of the movie, and it is talked about so little that it is almost forgotten. Playing up this dynamic would have helped make the experience more rewarding for its' 'tween' viewers and might have made for a better overall film.