Osmosis Jones (Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly, 2001) Review

Yes, I lied. I think it's justified considering that the previous review was up at about 1 in the morning. Plus the extra time gave me some more time to think about what film to review next...apparently it's one that not many people have seen so I figured I would take a look at Osmosis Jones, a film from the makers of Space Jam so you should expect to see cartoons mixed with live action. Let's check it out.

Frank Detomello (Bill Murray) is a zoo worker and single father who, when out working, catches an unknown disease. Inside Frank is 'The City of Frank', a world full of sentient and anthropomorphic white blood cells. One cell is Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock), a cop who winds up having to act as a hero when a germ known as Thrax (Laurence Fishburne). In order to fight this unknown threat, a work partner for Jones is sent in, a cold pill called Drix (David Hyde Pierce). Together, Jones and Drix have to put aside their differences to stop Thrax from killing Frank.

Like Space Jam, this film takes opportunity of using cartoons with live action, however it keeps them separate until the climax which leads to a similar problem that The Lorax suffered from. The Lorax had a similar two story structure that made one so much better than the other, which therefore drags the film down. Osmosis Jones does follow this but it's not as bad considering that less time is given to live action world, which is a plus. It also gives more time to the animated characters who I actually enjoyed. Jones is a likable hero especially due to Chris Rock's performance, Drix is a great foil with David Hyde Pierce's great sophistication and Thrax is one of the best underrated animated villains (Laurence Fishburne did a great job and his design is well made).

This is a pretty weird film though. It definitely isn't for everyone as there are a few moments that were just unnecessary (one of which involves a ridiculous cameo from Kid Rock...definitely showing the film's age) Not just that but, while the animation is good for the most part, there are few moments where it was questionable (a Matrix parody used a bit of sneaky CGI).

Osmosis Jones isn't a terrible film but it's not amazing. Personally, I enjoy it but it's definitely not for everyone. The live action stuff isn't anything special but the animated world inside Frank is where the film is better off. I loved the actors performances as well as the characters but I feel that it needed a little more time to cook.

Verdict:
6.5/10
An enjoyable enough flick with good acting but is clouded by some average aspects.