Leo (2023)

🌟 Service: Netflix

🔗 IMDb (Score/Vote): 7.0/1.6K

🎭 Genre: Kids & family, Musical, Comedy, Animation

👥 Cast: Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong.

In the animated film "Leo," Adam Sandler resurrects his iconic gurgly, monster baritone voice, a familiar delight for fans. This time, he lends the distinctive tone to a 74-year-old class lizard, infusing it with a gentler touch and a touch more congestion. Despite the potential for fun in a storyline where the elderly lizard imparts sage advice to quirky fifth-graders, Sandler's penchant for modern laziness takes the spotlight in this Netflix project. The animation feels rigid, and the humor often falls flat, leaving even the musical interludes with Sandler's signature voice lacking the expected excitement.

"Leo" kicks off with a self-aware vibe and a subtle adult edge, cleverly nodding to E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" right from the start. The students, who begrudgingly anticipate reading the classic book, find themselves contending with the stern substitute, Ms. Malkin (voiced by Cecily Strong). However, the narrative's primary focus is on therapeutic insights, as 74-year-old lizard Leo spends weekends with different students, unraveling the mysteries of life and offering much-needed guidance. Each encounter unveils Leo's ability to not only speak but also address the unique needs of every child. From a chatterbox grappling with social connections to a sheltered boy discovering newfound courage, and even a girl coming to terms with her father's success, the heartwarming journey delves into the diverse struggles of these quirky fifth-graders.

The initial script for "Leo," crafted by Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Paul Sado, leans heavily on the talking lizard concept, treating it like an open secret. Sandler's character, the scaly therapist, urges each child to keep his ability to converse hush-hush, creating an air of exclusivity around the advice he imparts. However, the film's prolonged conflicts eventually reveal that Leo's popularity stems from this supposed secret, though the revelation doesn't carry the magical weight the script implies. Leo's ability to speak is more of a cute, scripted quirk than a profound revelation. The movie seems to pose the question, "What more could you ask for?" Meanwhile, the story introduces Squirtle, a turtle voiced by Bill Burr, who serves as a foil to Leo's therapeutic endeavors and often becomes the center of the film's casual bathroom humor.

Surprisingly, this cinematic babysitter occasionally breaks into song, adding a musical element to the mix. However, it's not a grand, uniform musical experience. Instead, certain sequences highlighting Leo's influence on the youngsters feature some singing, albeit in a rather modest fashion. The musical numbers, crafted by director Robert Smigel, who also wrote the songs, along with Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim, are notably economical. Whether it's their brevity, minimalist piano and light strings arrangement, or the absence of intricate choreography, the musical segments in "Leo" aim to position the film among others where the soundtrack takes precedence over the storyline. Unfortunately, the corners cut in the execution of these musical interludes are glaringly apparent, preventing "Leo" from truly competing with animated movies where the soundtrack reigns supreme.

"Leo" occasionally perks up with bursts of energy, whether through slapstick humor or its vibrant color scheme. The lizard, Leo, engages in whimsical activities like soaring through the air, floating on bubbles, and encountering other talking animals. However, these lively moments are overshadowed by the assembly line animation, where the illusion of lifelike characters and settings quickly dissipates upon closer inspection of the backgrounds. Both humans and talking animals share eerily similar eyes that seldom blink, maintaining an unnatural upright stance. The characters, with their Playdoh-skin-texture, move rigidly, reminiscent of being trapped in a scene from "The Blair Witch Project." It's essential to clarify that the critique lies not with the animators but with the overall ambition and standards of the project.

Adding to the list of shortcomings, "Leo" shoehorns in awkward product placements, featuring Cheetos and a forced inclusion of the Progressive mascot Flo in a family portrait. The film also resorts to cheap visual gags, such as kindergarteners with heads resembling giant balloons, their chaotic energy seemingly a substitute for the innocuous appeal of the Minions.

Despite the comedic talents involved, such as the TV Funhouse team, "Leo" falls short in delivering consistent humor, with only sporadic laughs scattered throughout. One notable amusing moment comes from Bill Burr's Squirtle, who cheekily dubs the unfolding events "an E.T. scam," hinting at a humorous pitch for the movie. However, "Leo" demonstrates the awkwardness that arises when a film becomes overly literal in delivering adult humor. For instance, a casual reference to "Mr. Skin" might prove to be an amusing inside joke for parents, but it undoubtedly adds an unexpected layer of complexity to conversations with curious kids.

Similar to Roger's sentiment in his "Scooby-Doo" reviews, I must acknowledge that I might not be the ideal reviewer for "Leo." It's worth mentioning that the wisdom Leo imparts, albeit in a voice that feels recycled with added phlegm, might hold some value for the fifth-graders in the audience. However, with the perspective of age, I've encountered characters like Leo before, and this film, in its overt attempt at charismatic sentimentality, comes across as an incredibly lazy endeavor. Trusting the advice of a lizard like Leo seems, at best, questionable.