Throw in a cult Norwegian movie about a junkie elephant, a wealth of recognisable acting talents and a translated screenplay courtesy of Simon Pegg, and what you get is a deadly cocktail called Free Jimmy. At the first glance, it may seem that this is a kids’ movie, but BE WARNED – this movie is for adults. It includes a graphic sex scene, profanity, violence and frequent drug use. Which makes it all the more confusing seeing as the tone and delivery of the voices and comedy is alarmingly of the overacted, slapstick ilk that would be prominent in the latest computer-animated kids’ movie.
Looking at a long star-studded cast list, it is evidently a waste of effort as the only likeable and effective characters are the ones who do not speak – Jimmy the elephant and his friend, the moose. Rather than wasting money on the acting talent, it would have been a much wiser move to have spent more time on the lazy translation (or even used subtitles), which appears to have done the much loved original a great disservice. The animation also looks like a cut scene from a video game, lacking the fluidity and detail that many animated films can boast today. Overall, this movie yearns to break conventions, but forgets how to entertain its audience in the process.
3/10