OSMOSIS JONES

“That,” said the toddler to his mother as they left the cinema, “was the grossest movie I’ve ever seen.” The Farrelly brothers are back, and I’m happy to report that the constraints imposed on their œuvre by a PG rating merely serve to shift emphasis from the mangled genitalia of yore to family-friendly gags like gargantuan exploding whiteheads.

The zit in question sits on the forehead of Frank (Bill Murray), a whey-faced zookeeper with a hankering for the unhealthy. The pulsing blemish is actually a nightclub populated by all manner of cells, germs, and viruses — in fact, Frank’s entire body is a vibrant microcosm of microbes, complete with a mayoral race and a criminal-justice system. Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock) is a young white blood cell on the force; like many good cops, he’s recently seen his best efforts backfire on him. But when a malicious virus (Laurence Fishburne) intent on Frank’s destruction enters the picture, Os sees a chance for redemption. Teaming with self-important cold pill Drix (David Hyde Pierce), he sets out to kick some bacterial butt.

Despite Murray’s best efforts, the live-action interludes here are slight (and puerile in that patented Farrelly style). But in Frank’s body, animators have created a colorful and dynamic megalopolis where atulence and phlegm are rendered with storybook whimsy.

— Mike Miliard