I’ve vowed not to start any reviews this January or February with a lament about what a horrible time of year this is for movies.

After all, no month — nay, no weekend — is exempt. You’re as likely to get a stinker during the so-called Oscar season (hello? Little Fockers? Gulliver’s Travels?) as you are in January – or June or October.

And you’re just as likely to get a movie like The Green Hornet around, say, Memorial Day or July 4 as you are for the Martin Luther King weekend or Valentine’s Day. There is no season for mindless comic-book influenced super-hero movies.

The pedigree for The Green Hornet is mixed, at best. On the one hand, you’ve got a script by Seth Rogen and cowriter Evan Goldberg, whose last two efforts were the enjoyable Superbad and Pineapple Express. And, for a curveball, you’ve got Rogen himself playing the title role, which gives it an oddly interesting spin.

On the other hand, the film is directed by the incredibly overrated Michel Gondry, whose last outing was the virtually unwatchable Be Kind Rewind. Gondry is also responsible for one of the decade’s most unjustly praised films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

And, true to form, The Green Hornet is a mixed bag — not an abject failure, but still, not a film that recognizes its own strengths. It gets away with a lot – and is often more entertaining and enjoyable than it has any right to be. That’s mostly about the loopy, loose-limbed performance by Rogen and the way he uses costar Jay Chou as a foil — and vice versa. Still, there’s a difference between comic-book action and cartoonishness, a distinction that Gondry doesn’t seem to recognize. The Green Hornet suffers as a result.

Rogen plays Britt Reid, playboy scion to a media empire overseen by his stern father (Tom Wilkinson), crusading editor of the L.A. Daily Sentinel. But when daddy dearest dies mysteriously, Britt is forced to man up and step up to take control of the newspaper – a job that couldn’t interest him less.

Then he meets Kato (Chou), his father’s driver and mechanic — who blows Britt’s mind with both his mechanical prowess and, later, with his martial-arts skills. The two of them initially team up to go out and pull a masked prank — stealing the head off the new statue of Dad.

But mid-vandalism, Britt comes across a gang of toughs attacking a young couple and, without thinking, challenges them. Suddenly he’s surrounded by thugs and in danger of having his face rearranged. Kato comes to his rescue, revealing his previously unseen kung-fu chops to save Britt’s skin.

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Published: Thursday, January 13, 2011, 12:29 PM     Updated: Thursday, January 13, 2011, 12:33 PM

By

Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian

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View full sizeAP/Columbia Pictures-Sony/Jaimie TruebloodDoes Seth Rogen have the right hero stuff for “The Green Hornet”?Though early reviews haven’t been exactly ecstatic, box-office pundits are watching this weekend, to see whether the movie, “The Green Hornet,” will fly or flop.

Will moviegoers decide they want to see a movie about a hero who’s not really very super? And how about that weird comedy/action mixture thing?

Finally, can people buy the fact that Seth Rogen is playing the lead?

Now, Rogen has obviously had success with movies like “Knocked Up,” and “Pineapple Express.” But ticket-buyers didn’t exactly storm the multiplexes to see “Observe and Report,” or “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.”

So, today’s question: Is Rogen better suited to being a member of an ensemble than he is carrying the show? I vote yes, based on his appealing work in TV’s “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared,” both of which, by the way, are showing on IFC.

Friends, Romans, Rogen-watchers: What do you think? Do you want to see Rogen as the star of a movie? Or is he better as one of the guys?

— Kristi Turnquist

Family fare: Movie reviews for parents

by Nell Minow

Jan 12, 2011 07:40PM

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“Season of the Witch”

Assessments from a parent’s perspective of this week’s openings and recent titles:

‘The Green Hornet’

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content

Translation: Comic-book fantasy violence, with many characters injured and killed, and brief graphic images. Death of a parent. Drinking and drug dealing. Sexual references and a non-explicit situation. Very strong language for a PG-13.

Recommendation: High school ages to adults.

Family discussion: How does it differ from other superhero movies? Why does Britt change his mind about his father?

If you like this, try: The “Green Hornet” television series co-starring Bruce Lee.

‘The Dilemma’

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving sexual content.

Translation: Adultery, with many sexual references and situations, including brief nudity (male butt, stripper and animated characters). A homophobic reference. Very strong and crude language. Drinking and gambling. Violence (fistfights and gunfire).

Recommendation: Mature teenagers to adults.

Family discussion: Should Ronny tell Nick the truth? How did Ronny’s experience change his views about his own relationship?

If you like this, try: “He’s Just Not That Into You.”

‘Season of the Witch’

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence and disturbing content.

Translation: Many disturbing and grisly images including dead bodies and plague victims. Demonic wolves and a devil figure. Battle scenes and sword fights, with characters injured and killed. Alcohol use. A brief sexual reference and non-explicit, non-sexual nudity.

Recommendation: High school ages to adults.

Family discussion: When do the characters require proof and when do they rely on faith?

If you like this, try: “Ladyhawke” and “Dragonslayer.”

Nell Minow is the film critic for the website beliefnet.com.