| 83 |
Entertainment Weekly
An animated family movie about penguins -- in the wake of "March of the Happy Feet," they're the Angelina Jolie of animals, both cute and admired everywhere. Plus, it's about surfing.
|
| 83 |
Baltimore Sun
Best of all is Jeff Bridges as the voice of Geek, a laid-back philosopher-penguin who becomes Cody's low-key guru, mentoring him in the ways of the wave.
|
| 75 |
Boston Globe
Michelle Kung
The most colorful of the penguin 'toons to date, both figuratively and literally.
|
| 75 |
Philadelphia Inquirer
Not only are LaBeouf and Bridges terrific, but Jon Heder is hilarious as surfing fowl Chicken Joe. And Zooey Deschanel is saucy fun as penguin lifeguard Lani.
|
| 75 |
Portland Oregonian
What makes Surf's Up stand out is its look and texture.
|
| 75 |
ReelViews
If you have to see one penguin movie, this is it.
|
| 75 |
San Francisco Chronicle
The entertaining new film from Sony Pictures Animation is a nice surprise, and the rare mainstream American kid film.
|
| 75 |
Premiere
Paul Semel
Up will still make you feel like you've caught a big wave.
|
| 75 |
Charlotte Observer
Has its own peculiar, loose-knit kind of charm.
|
| 75 |
TV Guide
A cut above the noisy, pop-culture joke-larded norm, and it's much more than a "Happy Feet" knockoff.
|
| 75 |
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Surf's Up is that rarity in a children's movie, a comedy that's actually exciting.
|
| 70 |
Los Angeles Times
A clever, delightfully rendered summer diversion.
|
| 70 |
Washington Post
It's cool but not too cool, and cute but not too cute. A neat trick considering its overexposed avian cast.
|
| 70 |
Village Voice
Ella Taylor
If you have to see another penguin blockbuster, you could do worse than this loose-limbed charmer.
|
| 70 |
New York Magazine
Don't worry, parents, only you--and not your 5-year-old--will get that the chicken's stoned out of his gourd.
|
| 70 |
The Hollywood Reporter
A cheerful and frequently amusing bit of nonsense, which certainly will provoke children into giggles. The film does not measure up to "March of the Penguins" or "Happy Feet," both Oscar-winning efforts. Nor is it trying to.
|
| 70 |
Variety
Peter Debruge
Every bit as entertaining as the early Christopher Guest efforts.
|
| 67 |
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The film's greatest triumph, at least on a technical level, is the amazing texture of the water, which has never looked so dramatic or convincing in an animated film.
|
| 67 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Mostly, it just stands out in a crowded field of tacky also-rans by being a reasonably acceptable, more or less non-obnoxious way to spend an hour and a half.
|
| 63 |
Chicago Tribune
Where Surf's Up falls down is in its central relationships. (A few more jokes wouldn't have hurt either).
|
| 63 |
USA Today
First they marched, then they tap-danced. Now they ride the waves on souped-up boards.
It really doesn't matter what stunts they try to pull off: Who can resist an animated mockumentary in the style of "This Is Spinal Tap" starring the black-and-white big birds of the moment?
|
| 63 |
New York Post
Doesn't do enough with a righteous premise.
|
| 63 |
New York Daily News
The voice performances are great, particularly those from LaBeouf and Bridges, who's in a "Big Lebowski" mood. But a moratorium on penguin movies may be in order.
|
| 50 |
The New York Times
Has a friendly, blue-collar vibe (Cody is an ex-fish-sorter from the Shiverpool, Antarctica) and some sly, low-key humor. Nevertheless, a moratorium on penguins might be called for, despite the inevitable anthropomorphic void.
|
| 40 |
Austin Chronicle
There's nothing terribly wrong with Surf's Up, except maybe the part where one character calls another a "dirty trash can full of poop." But the movie isn't terribly robust, either.
|
| 30 |
Chicago Reader
The novelty wears off almost immediately, leaving this a real chore to watch; there's something bizarre about low-budget spontaneity being replicated in such a labor-intensive medium.
|
