Small, undemanding children might find this distracting; small, tree-hopping rodents may be mortally offended.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 4, 2014

The good name of Canadian-South Korean animated co-productions has been sullied forever.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 1, 2014

Endless wordplay and dumb slapstick do not a rewarding animation make. Pun-ishing.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 31, 2014

DreamWorks' 2006 film Over the Hedge scampered through similar terrain with far slyer gags in its cheeks.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 31, 2014

This is chiefly about the spectacle and the gags, which aren't frequent or original enough to compete with the likes of Pixar.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 31, 2014

Pretty much everything in this South Korean co-production is slightly undercooked, lacking the same degree of sprightly wit or dramatic punch regularly found in A-list studio product.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 29, 2014

The whole thing looks like a video game you'd rather not play.

| Feb 7, 2014

[P]icking and choosing the worthwhile moments out of this disorganized grab bag of tones, gags, and ideas feels like picking through a cheap assortment of mixed nuts, looking for the occasional pecan among peanuts.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Jan 31, 2014

The bottom line: Kids may be mildly amused by The Nut Job, but adults accompanying them won't find much to capture their interest.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jan 17, 2014

The Nut Job is a delightfully goofy slapstick cartoon with a surprisingly dark heart.

| Jan 17, 2014

While the film isn't the worst of its kind, it might be one of the dullest of recent vintage.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 17, 2014

Only a multilevel chase sequence involving Surly and some glowing-eyed street rats has any real kinetic excitement, and the supporting characters lack visual distinction.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 17, 2014

"The Nut Job" features muddy-colored and often ugly animation, a plot that feels too stretched out and loaded with details to hold the attention of most children, and more flatulence jokes than anyone deserves.

| Jan 16, 2014

When the story gets stale, the movie inserts a "nuts" pun or, worse, resorts to a gas or burp joke. It doesn't work the first time, nor the fifth.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 16, 2014

As we see so often in sub-par animation, the focus (literally) seems to be on making every hair distinct rather than in finding a visual way to move the story.

| Original Score: C- | Jan 16, 2014

Once Surly and Buddy case the joint, develop a plan, and deal with the inevitable surprises, The Nut Job could be any classic caper flick.

| Jan 16, 2014

That feeling of been-there-done-that is pervasive, with many of the jokes sounding like they were ripped off from other movies.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 16, 2014

The Nut Job features decent CG animation, especially of animals, but the writing isn't particularly clever, relying on obvious puns and slapstick humor.

| Jan 16, 2014

Spins its wheels like rodents in a Habitrail.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jan 16, 2014

Someone spent a lot of time making the architecture and production design match the era. Grandparents getting dragged to "The Nut Job" will be appreciative.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jan 16, 2014