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Igor

Hard to gauge which children this film is for — if any

By MARK BAZER | September 16, 2008

1.5 Stars

IGOR: Suicide is not painless.

At the risk of sounding like one of those family-values movie reviewers, might I suggest that an animated kids’ flick that takes place in a land called Malaria — a disease affecting thousands of children in parts of the world where there are no multiplexes — seems a little off? Directed by Anthony Leondis, Igor has a clever conceit: the title character (voiced by John Cusack) lives in a cartoon evil world in which there are plenty of hunchbacked Igors, and plenty of evil scientists for them to serve. Our hero, alas, finds himself in the unfortunate predicament of being a lot smarter than his master. But it’s hard to gauge which children this film is appropriate for — if any. Take one of Igor’s sidekicks, an immortal unhappy rabbit (Steve Buscemi) who not only talks about killing himself but keeps trying to do it. Nothing like walking out of a theater with your kid asking, “Daddy, what is suicide?” John Cleese, Jay Leno, and Eddie Izzard also lend their voices. 87 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Chestnut Hill + Suburbs

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ARTICLES BY MARK BAZER

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I'm hard-pressed to say, though, whether Extract is a significant leap forward for Judge in terms of story or just not as funny as his earlier work.

SOUL MEN | November 05, 2008
Mac especially is a joy to watch, and a counterpoint to the humor elsewhere, as he breaks out Temptations-style moves with just the right mix of sly fun and respect for the music.

FILTH AND WISDOM | October 27, 2008
As the lead character narrates his “filthy” story, and those of his London flatmates/neighbors, we hit upon boredom long before wisdom can arrive.

CITY OF EMBER | October 15, 2008
Kids who see the truth when adults cannot is a central idea in children’s stories, but today’s kids would hardly recognize the grown-ups in Ember’s totalitarian society.