Home 2015

Christy Lemire, ChristyLemire.com: Heartwarming and harmless? Sure, why not. But it's also numbing in its simplicity and often rather annoying. Read more

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Like the timorous Boov, "Home" has little interest in risk-taking. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: From a creative standpoint, this is the studio's least exciting feature yet - hardly its worst, execution-wise, but entirely lacking in the risk-taking spirit that has spawned such successful franchises as "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Dragon." Read more

Jesse Hassenger, AV Club: DreamWorks movies are often about outsiders learning that they don't have to fit in, a lesson the filmmakers may not have absorbed themselves. Read more

Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: Lazy gags, and it's been done better elsewhere. Read more

Tom Russo, Boston Globe: Director Tim Johnson ("Over the Hedge") and his animators can't maintain this level of freshness throughout, but that's where Parsons and his goofy charm take over. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: Aggressive and cynical approach to children's entertainment, pummeling viewers with mechanical-looking action sequences (which suggest video game demos), unfunny one-liners, and overly loud pop songs and sound effects. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: I brought a couple of my kids, who liked it fine and found the friendship at the center rather affecting. Read more

Maricar Estrella, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: Tim Johnson ( Antz) has capitalized on DreamWorks' proprietary animation platform, Apollo to create a rich, intricate setting...But the technology doesn't save the film from falling flat on other levels. Read more

Dana Rose Falcone, Entertainment Weekly: The combination of Home's layered message, fun score, and clever comedy make it a colorful choice for moviegoers of any age. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Maybe it's because kids sometimes feel like aliens in a grown-up world, but from E.T. and Elliott to Lilo and Stitch, pairing a child with a creature from outer space can prove to be a winning combination. Read more

Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: There may be no place like home, but there are a lot of places like Home, an animated adventure about the unlikely friendship between a lonely girl and an alien misfit that can't help but feel familiar. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: Tension is one of "Home's" biggest issues. There just isn't nearly enough of it. Story is another. Even a kids' movie needs more complexity and more invention. Read more

Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press: An earnest exercise that falls flat, despite the best of intentions. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: The film moves quickly and keeps the jokes coming, which only means that "Home" would rather keep young viewers occupied than give them something to think about. Read more

Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News: The Gummi-colored animation is imaginative, but director Tim Johnson's ho-hum 3D cartoon remains strictly 1D. Read more

Neil Genzlinger, New York Times: A charming concoction with positive messages for younger children about conquering fears, understanding outsiders and knowing yourself. Read more

Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: Anyone over 10 will see the plot twists a mile away. Kids will probably enjoy the goofy Boovs, the rainbows of colors and the music. Call me a traditionalist, but I still say the world was a better place before those darn Boovs invaded. Read more

Soren Anderson, Seattle Times: It works moderately well thanks largely to the voice talents of Jim Parsons and, to a lesser extent, Steve Martin. Two droll dudes who put a fair share of funny into this animated picture. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The bland "Home" is a crash pad at best. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: When we scratch beneath the sugary surface, there's something tart inside that's difficult to digest. Read more

Geoff Pevere, Globe and Mail: A big, fat happy meal of a movie ... Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Aside from Parsons' initially amusingly mangled Yoda-like English, which gets a tad repetitive, Home doesn't stand out as fresh or particularly funny. Read more

James Rocchi, TheWrap: As animated sci-fi for small fry, it's a success whose modest but well-executed ambitions are no small part of its charm. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Inoffensive but flavourless, and crammed with familiar elements from better movies like Lilo and Stitch , Toy Story and Despicable Me . Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Key characters are admirably diverse, but the fast-paced tale is thoroughly predictable. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: A surprisingly moving tale of friendship and family, dressed up as an adorably frivolous sci-fi comedy. Read more

Sandie Angulo Chen, Washington Post: This kiddie sci-fi adaptation doesn't quite live up to its evocative title. Read more