Say "Yes" To Gno(meo and Juliet)

Since Gnomeo and Juliet takes place mostly in a garden I chose In The Garden as today's fractal cookie.  (Notice also the prominence of red and blue in the image--which highlights an important point of the movie.  So, on with the review!
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Lets start with a tawdry confession: I hate to admit it but I don't find Garden Gnomes at all cute.  In fact, I think they're kind of creepy (and I'm not EVEN going to get into a discussion of the people who feel the need to display these horrid little critters as yard art).  As such, I didn't have high hopes for Gnomeo and Juliet.  Furthermore, Romeo and Juliet has been re-set countless times and ways (West Side Story and The Fantastics to name two)  Still, Robyn wanted to go and the afternoon was cold and rainy so off to the theater we went.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty good little movie.
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Yes, you've heard the story before (the plot was probably old when William Shakespeare wrote the source material) and yes, the endless "gnome" jokes and wordplay can be a bit labored at times.  Likewise, some of the Elton John songs seems a bit shoehorned in but that's surprisingly OK.  The voice cast is where Gnomeo and Juliet really shines.  James McAvoy gives Gnomeo the right combination of sweetness and swagger while Emily Blunt as Juliet sells pluck and cuteness wholesale.  Jim Cummings as Featherstone the daft, love-crazed Flamingo channels Father Guido Sarducci but it totally works.  Jason Satham oozes "badass" as Tybalt (about the only "nasty" character in the flick).  Fine supporting work is turned in by Michael Caine (Lord Redbrick) and Maggie Smith (Lady Bluebury), the heads of the rival clans of gnomes.  The addition of Ozzy Osbourne gives Fawn a weird mix of menace and addlepatedness.  Hulk Hogan has a shriekingly funny cameo as the pitchman for the Terrafirminator.  Patrick Stewart channels his American Dad character for the voice of Bill Shakespeare.
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Is Gnomeo and Juliet a great movie?  No, but it's a pretty good little movie.  The kids can enjoy the action while the adults can find lots of humor to enjoy.  The pace never lags so you don't have to start thinking about where the film slips.  This is a good movie for Mom and Dad to enjoy with the kids but don't feel like you need to run out and see it before it comes out on DVD.
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FINAL GRADE: B