Tim Johnson’s Home is a computer animated science fiction-comedy film about an alien invasion with an interesting twist. Themes such as friendship, accepting differences, and finding a place of belonging are blended with a good dose of humour in this fun-filled kids’ movie.
Home begins when an alien race, the Boov, uses an anti-gravity special power to captivate and transport humans to a distant desert planet in order to take over Earth. Unlike most members of his alien race, Oh (Jim Parsons) is an overly enthusiastic and lovable Boov who naively believes that everyone is his friend.
In reality, Oh is strongly disliked by fellow Boov, a feeling that is only augmented by his serious blunder: Oh accidentally invites the entire galaxy, including the Boov’s enemy alien race, to his housewarming party.
Banished from the Boov and attempting to run away to a Boovless spot on Earth, Oh runs into a feisty human girl named Tip (Rihanna) who escaped captivity and now longs to reunite with her mother. Although Tip is initially repelled by and distrustful of Oh, both eventually develop a friendship and unite to find Tip’s mother — and save the planet while they are at it.
The hero of the movie is Oh. His use of incorrect English (possibly correct in Boov language) in statements such as “can I come into the out now?” or “my warming-of-house party” are sure to draw laughs and ‘awws’ from the audience. Jim Parsons’ voicing of Oh further adds to the character’s likeability.
One of the most amusing scenes in the film comes when Oh is unable to stop his body parts from bursting into dance when he is first introduced to human music.
Although the storyline is fairly simplistic and mostly geared towards young children, the film provides deeper messages that adults will surely pick up on. In one scene, Oh tells Tip that the Boov were informed that the human race was backwards and needed the Boov to liberate them, an obvious reference to colonialist ideologies.
In Home, acts of friendship and understanding are what lead to viable solutions to the world’s problems. Tip and Oh team up to find Tip’s mother and fix Oh’s mistakes, suggesting that this may be the only way to build a sustainable home.
All in all, Home is an adventurous ride, with an important lesson on friendship to teach its young and mature audiences alike.
