HOME Review: Jim Parsons and Rihanna Navigate a Candy-colored Earth

HOME review by Carlos Aguilar.

Humans, we are all trapped in this fascinating planet, which is still surprisingly functional even after thousands of year of our reckless neglect. Given our preferential location, a lovely distance from the sun, and the bountiful resources Earth has to offer, is expected for us to be a bit apprehensive regarding other life forms out in the infinite universe. We think we are special and we don’t want to share. Dreamworks’ “Home” is a new iteration of our ever-present obsession with life beyond our atmosphere and the possibility of invasion. Luckily for us, in this candy-colored adaptation of Adam Rex’s successful children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday, one of these outer space creatures is clumsy, friendly, and in much need of hugs.

Used to being on the move and to leaving everything behind at a moment’s notice, the Boov is a coward alien race that refuses to fight. When their mortal enemies the Gorg – a species of evil-looking villains with sharp-edged bodies – attack their planet, the Boov see no other alternative than to run to a new, safe destination as far away from the bad guys as possible. During their latest “Move Day” we meet Oh (Jim Parsons), a joyful but lonely Boov who sees the latest relocation as a chance to start over. For all intents and purposes, Parsons plays an extraterrestrial version of his beloved “Big Ban Theory” role Sheldon: He is awkward, overly concerned with scientific facts, but nice underneath it all. It’s not so much that this is a problem, but it really doesn’t feel like a stretch or a different character than what he does on TV.

Given the fact that they are always running, the Boov are not used to attachments; therefore, none of them has friends or families. Their only source for emotional reassurance is their hilarious arrogant and inept leader, Captain Smek (a hilarious Steve Marrtin), who came to power when he stole the “shusher,” a mysterious sphere, from the Gorg.

The Boov are harmless, purple creatures that look like a mix between an octopus and a frog, and whose emotional state is reflected on their skin color: if they are lying they turn green, if they feel love they turn red. Such quality might be a curse at times. They speak English with a slight deficiency that doesn’t allow them to fully grasp the nuances of the language, and, sadly, they don’t know how to dance. All these quirks are curiously humorous to an extent, but it’s hard to think of all of them as memorable as the plot thickens. A highlight is the term they used to describe ice cream: “sweetened bovine secretion.”

When Oh and the rest of the Boov arrive on Earth, they relocate all humans to Australia and eliminate useless human inventions like trashcans, toilets, and cars. We’ve been colonized and displaced, but at least they were nice about it. Now in his new home, Oh is eager to make friends and evidently decides to throw a party. Unfortunately for him, and his species, he accidentally invited sent the email invite to everyone in the galaxy, including the Gorg. Why he would have the email address of the Boov’s tormentors in his power is a mystery to me. Surely enough Oh becomes the most hated Boov in the planet and must hide in order not to be “erased,” a euphemism for being essentially executed.

One can image that humans – knowing how prone to aggression we are – were not happy with the Boov’s plan. While most people were successful removed form their homes, one young girl in New York, Gratuity Tucci or “Tip” (played by Rihanna), managed to remain in hiding after the Boov took her mother, Lucy (J.Lo). Even though the “Umbrella” singer is proficient in the role, it’s obvious the part was tailored for her. Tip is originally form Barbados (Really?) and she surprisingly loves to listen to songs by an artist who sounds very much like Rihanna. I guess is just all a coincidence. Moving on.

The real adventure begins when our two heroes collide and decide they need each other to get to safety. Oh must fix his mistake and stop the invite before the Gorg receive it, and Tip needs to find her mother. And so it begins, on board of a flying car running on slushy, Oh, Tip, and her chubby cat named “Pig,” embark on this mission.
Now that we got all those not so important elements out of the way, allow me to take a second and let you know that the best thing in “HOME” is not Parsons nor the hit-maker pop artist turned voice actor. The star of the film is the adorable cat. Not only are the scenes in which he appears the most visually interesting because we get to see the world from his perspective, but he steals the show every second he is onscreen. I’d like to start a petition for Pig to get his own spinoff film or short film. The fluffy thing doesn’t even talk and its more engaging than the rest of the entire cast. Someone give an award to whoever voiced Pig’s purrs.

Though glossy and often enjoyably silly, “HOME” tries to pack a great number or ideas and themes into an animated film that is not sure what all of it means. Several sequences appear to exist solely to showcase Jennifer Lopez’ and Rihanna’s songs. These are tear-jerking moments serve as tiny music videos for the power ballads that hardly add to the overall quality of the film. Under all the shiny elements and star-studded soundtrack, this is nothing more than a typical comedy about two outsiders forming an alternative “family.” It’s not revolutionary, it’s not meant to become a classic, but it’ll keep you and your kids smiling often enough to be worth the price of admission.

HOME opens in theaters on March 27.