MOVIE REVIEWS Kids: The Bad Guys Parents: Operation Mincemeat

BY BONNIE L. HARRIS

DREAMWORKS HITS ANOTHER ONE out of the park with its new madcap animated caper, The Bad

Guys. A truly laugh-out-loud funny romp through a makebelieve Los Angeles with plenty of boisterous humor to keep the whole family entertained. Kudos to screenwriter Etan Cohen for spot-on snappy dialogue and a hilarious story of villainous redemption from the perspective of the misunderstood “bad guys.” Very loosely based on the graphic novel series by Aaron Blabey, The Bad Guys ratchets up the fun with five wicked master criminals: Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, Mr. Piranha, and Miss Tarantula, who are also best friends. Toss in a killer soundtrack and flawless direction by Pierre Perifel and you have one of the best animated films of 2022.

Who wouldn’t admire the cool Mr. Wolf as he embraces his badness with the snarky, pessimistic Mr. Snake by his side. Heist by heist, their reputation grows until the minute Mr. Wolf accidentally helps an old lady and he feels a strange twinge of goodness. From there, it’s all downhill until the gang finds themselves in jail with their only escape in the saintly Professor Marmalade. He believes he can reform them, but little do they know that the gracious Professor has a despicable plan to steal a whole lot of charity money for himself. With the help of Governor Diane Foxington, who isn’t all she seems, the five friends pool their talents and resources to bring down Marmalade. Along the way, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Snake restore their friendship and the gang discovers that being good actually feels good. In the end, the gang shoulders the responsibility for their past crimes, but saving the city from Marmalade’s mayhem gets them a light sentence and a new lease on life. Definitely have to see this one again! ✦

THE BAD GUYS Dreamworks Animation, Rated: PG In theatres & streaming on Amazon

OPERATION MINCEMEAT FilmNation Entertainment, Rated: PG-13 Streaming on Netflix

FOR HISTORY BUFFS, there’s nothing better than an untold WWII story of intrigue, sacrifice, and winning the good fight. Netflix delivers all of these and much more with their captivating new drama, Operation Mincemeat. It’s drama with just the right touch of dry British humor and a heavy dose of spy-craft in the true story of Britain’s attempt to deflect attention from the 1943 invasion of Sicily. Seasoned director John Madden weaves this tale layer by layer until it’s hard to decipher fact from fiction. But at every turn, his actors give stellar performances as players in a deadly game that could save or obliterate Allied forces. The ploy: a dead body carrying top secret papers washes ashore in Spain. The ruse: the documents point to a false invasion in Greece. The hope: that

Hitler takes the bait leaving Allied forces to strike Sicily, which is the lynchpin for eventually taking Europe. While we follow the military scheme, there’s an unrequited romance to tug at the heart, a betrayal between friends, and the tongue-in-cheek operation to find and outfit the perfect dead body. With the fate of the world on the line, all anyone can do is pray for a miracle. It’s a resounding, “Amen!” for a really great film.

Crafting false documents.