FamilyFans Movies

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DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG (NR)

Mutant Enemy Productions

Plot Summary: Dr. Horrible strives to gain membership in the Evil League of Evil and win the girl of his dreams while being constantly thwarted by his nemesis, Captain Hammer.

Reason for the Rating: NR, but video contains mild slapstick violence, mild language, and sexual references.

Once upon a time, there was a big fight between the major TV studios and the writer of their shows. It was a dark time, a time many of us have blocked out of our memories. A time of awful reality shows that would never have been aired otherwise, of corny variety show specials, of seasons of great shows cut short. It was…the writers’ strike. But one great, good thing came out of it, one shining example of creativity in action: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. For, during that dark time, Joss Whedon sat down and decided to make a short film in three parts for distribution on the web, using a cast and crew made mostly of friends and family, entirely outside the studio system.

I admit it, I have a weak spot for Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity). And if you do, too, you’ll recognize a lot of faces here. The film tells the story of the wannabe supervillain Dr. Horrible, played by Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser). He has a Ph.D. in horribleness. He’s busy trying to prove himself worthy of entrance in the Evil League of Evil and win the attentions of a cute do-gooder at his Laundromat named Penny (Felicia Day). Unfortunately, he’s constantly running into trouble and humiliation at the hands of his nemesis, the shallow and bombastic Captain Hammer (a hilarious Nathan Fillion). And the best part of it all is…it’s a musical.

Dr. Horrible is one of those rare comedic gems that comes along only once in a decade or so. It’s like something you and your friends would cook up in high school for a fun AV project - except that it's made by professional filmmakers and with real actors. The homemade quality will disappoint some, but for me it’s part of the charm. The songs are catchy, if ridiculous, and the plotline is classic and simple (love triangle, loser trying to succeed encounters tragic results). The characters are stylized caricatures, but memorable, thanks to great performances particularly from Harris and Fillion. I particularly loved the Bad Horse Chorus (Bad Horse is the leader of the Evil League of Evil…Bad Horse; he’s bad).

There are some classic themes in the movie, too, but you’ll have a hard time recognizing them since you’ll be too busy laughing (or scratching your head). Captain Hammer is a clear example of power and authority gone wrong, resulting in a shallow and self-absorbed hero only interested in his own image. Penny is a selfless idealist, but she’s also foolishly vulnerable to the showy sparkle of Hammer’s image and what he can accomplish with his influence. Dr. Horrible is a social reject who dreams of being noticed and making a difference but misdirects his efforts and ends up further and further from his principles as a result of his jealousy and lack of self-confidence and direction.

Most of the show is pretty innocent in its content, and if it were rated it would probably be PG. There are a few sexual references and some mild language and crassness, but that’s about it.

FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:

A unique and hilarious tragic-comedy superhero musical. Definitely worth watching if you enjoy its brand of silliness. Check it out at Hulu.com or download it from the official Dr. Horrible website (www.drhorrible.com) or buy it on DVD when it comes out.

Also, check out the FamilyFans.com review of the Soundtrack to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!

AFTER THE SHOW: 

• How do Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer conform or not conform to the stereotypes of heroes and villains? Who is the real hero of this film?

• Why do you think Penny was attracted to Captain Hammer? Who’s fault was it what happened to her in the end?

MV

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