Today’s quick review: Woody Woodpecker. Newly fired from his job, lawyer Lance Walters (Timothy Omundson) decides to make some quick cash by building a luxury house on a picturesque patch of land in the woods. With his teenage son Tommy (Graham Verchere) and his materialistic fiance Vanessa (Thaila Ayala) in tow, Lance heads out to the site to start the project. But his efforts are stymied by Woody (Eric Bauza), a hyperactive woodpecker who lives there.
Woody Woodpecker is a family comedy based on the classic cartoon character. The film’s intent is transparent: a friendly trickster commits cartoonish slapstick on hunters, construction workers, and other interlopers as he gradually learns the value of friendship. But weak writing, flimsy characters, and one-note humor undermine what modest potential the film has. As a result, Woody Woodpecker is a rough watch even for fans of wacky kids’ comedies.
Woody Woodpecker’s problems begin with its protagonist. Woody sticks out like a sore thumb in the live-action world of the movie. The movie’s attempts to replicate the character’s cartoon hijinks with modern CGI are awkward at the best of times. To make matters worse, Woody is not nearly funny enough to pull off the charming prankster routine. Instead he comes off as brash and annoying, giving the movie a weak foundation to build on.
The rest of Woody Woodpecker is similarly flawed. Timothy Omundson turns in a decent performance that needed better material to work with. The supporting cast is too kid-friendly for its own good, coming off as simplistic and predictable rather than funny or charming. The movie also struggles to pad out its length: even with a handful of unnecessary subplots and a six-minute cartoon after the credits, it still barely squeaks across the ninety-minute mark.
Overall, Woody Woodpecker is a disappointment. With a better script and a few tweaks to its cast, it could have hit the same sweet spot of kid-friendly slapstick as Mousehunt or Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Instead it falls into the worst patterns of the genre, sacrificing its plot and characters for cheap humor that misses its mark. Give it a try if you’re perversely curious or you’re watching with a child young enough to enjoy it.
4.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.0 for failed comedy.