Charlotte?s Web (the new live action version)
E.B. White?s novel was always something very near and dear to my heart as a nipper, and all things considered I thought this was a pretty good adaptation. Let?s get one thing straight though ?
Charlotte?s Web is no
Babe, and I don?t think the mighty sheep-herder has anything to fear in regard to maintaining his position as the king of all talking pig movies. One of the things that made Babe so supreme was that, in addition to having lots of warmth and heart, it had a charmingly-observed sense of quirkiness, which was sorely lacking here. Plus, none of the human characters here were as awesome as Farmer Hoggett (who, in my eyes, remains one of the great cinematic figures of all time
). But nonetheless, this film met most of my expectations.
I hadn?t been certain what to expect from Julia Roberts as the vocals of Charlotte the spider, but I think she worked out surprisingly well. I knew, of course, that Steve Buscemi would be great as Templeton the rat, and he certainly didn?t let me down. And, no matter how determined I may have been not to, I still wound up crying at that darned ending. That last line about being a true friend and a good writer?no matter which version I?m hearing it from - the book, the 70s animated film, and now this flick -it never fails to get my eyeballs watering.
