Yogi Bear is the latest attempt by Hollywood to murder iconic Hanna-Barbera characters via live action film (e.g., Scooby Doo, The Flintstones). From its abundance of humorless ass-related humor—pratfalls, bear booty-shaking and fart jokes—to its two-dimensional lessons on relationships and environmentalism, Yogi Bear is a movie made for children or those of childlike mind.
As it’s not difficult for me to imagine a pantless, potbellied Dan Aykroyd wobbling through the woods in search of picnic baskets, the casting of Aykroyd as Yogi doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch—even if his Yogi impersonation is a bit off from the source material. Justin Timberlake’s Boo-Boo is spot on; to his credit, you really have to strain to hear JT in there. Yogi and Boo-Boo’s human counterparts are Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as Ranger Smith and Anna Farris (Scary Movie) as Rachel, a filmmaker looking to make a documentary about Jellystone’s most famous resident. Neither is really noteworthy, so if you’re a big Cavanagh or Farris fan (really?), you won’t be missing out.
The Yogi Bear Show was never exactly the crown jewel of the Hanna-Barbera fleet, but it deserves better than Yogi Bear. Sadly, those with kids in their movie-going crew have very few PG-rated choices this holiday season, meaning this bumbling bear will probably rake in enough picnic baskets full of cash to ensure a sequel.
--Eric Pulsifer