![]() ![]() The point at which “ Still” plays contrasts RJ’s current state with Vern’s, the turtle who was the leader of the forest critters before RJ came along. “ Family of Me” is a pretty sad song that betrays its somber lyrics with an up-beat tune, mirroring the way RJ feels versus how he presents himself “It’s alright, yeah, it is, I swear you’ll see (it’s not really).” ![]() When he meets the other animals behind the hedge, he’s confident, witty, and displays a “yes man” attitude, but as we saw in the beginning, is also completely alone and struggling to survive. It plays just after the title scene and essentially explains where RJ is in his life (“How great I am gotta tell myself, ‘yeah, I’m the man.’ Looks grim right now, but pretty soon we’ll be laughing about it”). While “ Still” is my main inspiration, I’ll start with “ Family of Me” because I think it’ll provide some helpful context. I thought it might bring me healing as I navigate this difficult time we’re living in. And as much as I was interested in that, I was also looking to examine myself in relation to this film and this song, since it has resonated with me so deeply for so long. So, I was interested in analyzing that place it holds to see if it really was out of place, or if there’s more to this movie. It conveys incredibly complex feelings, and because of that, feels almost out of place in its film of origin. “ Still” hits me like a ton of bricks every time. Ben Folds’ lyrics are masterful, and, honestly, incredibly sobering to listen to. ![]() The songs from this movie are things I have kept revisiting over and over for more than half my life. Two things tend to happen when I remember this movie: one, I realize that my six-year-old self absolutely had a massive crush on RJ the raccoon. That being said, what exactly am I doing here? I think it’s a perfectly fine, cute, silly film that I look back on fondly and like to sit down with every now and again. To even suggest that there is an “ Over the Hedge discussion” sounds a bit absurd after all, if it is truly mediocre, what is there to unpack? Most of the time, it’s brought up under nostalgia-fueled reflective analyses that end in it being deemed “fine”-and I’m one to agree. When discussion of Over the Hedge occurs, it is usually categorized as mediocre. ![]()
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