Rio (B)

Mildly entertaining and mostly appropriate, watching Rio is an enjoyable enough activity, though not a mandatory one.
Carlos Saldanha (the Ice Age films) directs (and is one of seven writers for) another installment in the popular animal sex comedy genre. Yes, the whole story is set in motion because in order to repopulate the species, thoroughly domesticated macaw Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is taken from Minnesota to Rio de Janero and locked up with a way-out-of-his-league female named Jewel in the hopes they will make little macaws. This subject has already decimated good story-telling last year with Alpha and Omega, and Rio is good evidence for supporting Pixar's decision to drop Newt, an amphibious take on the same (stupid) story.
Fortunately for parents, bird-nappers soon intervene and the sexual antics take a backseat to more youngster-friendly adventure.
The worst part of the story is undoubtedly the "relationship" between the two parrots. Jewel endlessly insults Blu, and this is presented as a normal point of guy-girl interaction. The use of taunts and mockery in movies aimed for young children simply for quick laughs and a substitute for genuine dialogue are not only infinitely irritating, they encourage kids to be obnoxious little brats. I hope children seeing this movie remember to ask their mom if her first date with their dad involved the words "idiot" or "pathetic" in reference to her future spouse.
That said, Rio is not all that bad. There are gags and jokes that are adequate for young children's enjoyment, action which is entertaining for any audiences, and voice talents (Jamie Foxx, Will.I.AM, George Lopez...) that are lucrative for those featured. Furthermore, the romance between the macaw's owners (Leslie Mann and Jake T. Austin) is far more interesting and charming than the avian flirtation.
Best of all, though, are the visuals. While decidedly cartoonish, the animal looks and movements are unique and appealing; the movie's colors are so vivid and bright it is delightful just to look at. If one is to see the film, I highly recommend doing so in 3-D (because I don't know how you can eat popcorn in the second dimension).
Flawed but flashy, Rio might not fly, but it certainly can flutter its way through a decent 90 minutes.