Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you're a Ben Folds enthusiast and thus seek his five characteristic songs (three of which original) for the comedic, feel-good passages in the film. Avoid it... if you expect more than just typical, functional, and forgettable orchestral underscore from Rupert Gregson-Williams, yet another voice for generic animation music from Hans Zimmer's film score production house. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Over the Hedge: (Rupert Gregson-Williams/Ben Folds) Among Dreamworks' less remembered but still successful computer-generated ventures of the 2000's is Over the Hedge, the studio's first collaboration with Paramount (and, incidentally, the studio's first film not to be released on VHS tape). The 2006 movie was inspired by the comic strip of the same name and features a suburban-based formula of animal-related humor not much different from the Ice Age concept. Human idiosyncrasies are once again the inspiration for the humor in the tale, a gang of unlikely members of the animal kingdom battling each other and a human residential neighborhood for its food supply. Raids of the humans' food allow the filmmakers to poke fun at numerous cultural stereotypes in a way that's safe for the kids, though there might be some questions about the merit of any story that concludes victoriously when a hyperactive squirrel is given an overdose of cola. An outstanding cast of vocal talent was secured for Over the Hedge, including Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, and Eugene Levy in major roles. The soundtrack for the production was something of an unusual musical hybrid for Dreamworks, who sought original songs from a single source and accompanying score from another. The songs were the responsibility of American alternative rock artist Ben Folds, who contributed three new songs to Over the Hedge while adapting a remix of one of his previous songs and performing a cover version of another existing song. His carefree tone was accompanied by a predictably fluffy orchestral score by a graduate of Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures/Remote Control clone factory. Dreamworks has always sought the services of Zimmer and his company (or former collaborators of that group) for their feature scores, and in the case of Over the Hedge and Bee Movie in consecutive years, Zimmer served as the executive producer of the soundtrack while assigning compositional duties to Rupert Gregson-Williams. The brother of the more famous Gregson-Williams in the film music industry, Harry, had worked with Zimmer on a number of previous scores and was the rising star of choice from the Media Ventures days at that particular time. Interestingly, however, Rupert Gregson-Williams was eventually supplanted by Henry Jackman for Dreamworks movies not scored by Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, or John Powell within just a matter of years, though Rupert did manage to extend his solo career by handling several ridiculous comedies. Much like Bee Movie the following year, Gregson-Williams' general style of writing and tone of presentation in Over the Hedge will remind of equivalent scores by his brother and Powell, though his writing doesn't have the flair that Jackman later exhibited in the same circumstances. The orchestral foundation is pretty typical, relying upon easy string and woodwind rhythms with occasional bursts of frenetic brass action sequences. The "Lets Call It Steve" cue combines some additional color in the form of ensemble choral effects and solo operatic female voice, but the orchestrations are otherwise fairly mundane. The demeanor is extremely predictable, using woodwinds and dainty percussive tones prominently for the antics of the animals. Some light rock elements encroach in "Hammy Time." Thematically, Gregson-Williams does rotate through a common set of motifs, though none of them is particularly memorable. Perhaps the best of these is a "sneaking" motif that perhaps intentionally resembles Jerry Goldsmith's idea for John Rambo's stealthy moves in First Blood. Gregson-Williams' main character theme in "The Family Awakens" (with some impressive piano work unfortunately obscured in the mix) is highly reminiscent of generic Powell identities of the past, and some listeners will hear inferior echoes of Chicken Run in a few of the action passages. In sum, the score portion of Over the Hedge handles its duties on a moment to moment basis and, outside of a rousing crescendo at the conclusion of "RJ Resuces His Family," doesn't develop much cohesive narrative flow. The songs complicate matters because their structures and tone don't really match that of the score, this despite some orchestral backing arranged by Gregson-Williams to give depth to Folds' standard sound. The hip, kind of lazy style of Folds' performances are fine in and of themselves, but they are an extreme foil for the far more exuberant score, causing the two to clash when heard next to each other outside of context. This is especially the case with "Heist," an odd merging of 80's rock and vintage big band and blues. His version of "Lost in the Supermarket," written originally by The Clash, is meant for comedic purposes but is equally discordant. The two renditions of the tender "Still" are a bit more typical to animated musicals, and "Family of Me" is at least best matched to the demeanor of the story. Ultimately, however, there's simply too much distance between the score and songs for the 49-minute soundtrack album for Over the Hedge to function, especially with the two halves intermingled throughout. Score collectors specifically will hear material with no unique characteristics, making the whole basically adequate but forgettable. *** Track Listings:
Total Time: 48:45
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