The Ant Bully

The Ant Bully has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Netflix, and in the UK on Sky Go and Now TV Cinema. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 1,486 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Zach Tyler Eisen — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Ant Bully is worth clearing space for. The jokes in The Ant Bully land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Fed up with being targeted by the neighborhood bully, 10-year-old Lucas Nickle vents his frustrations on the anthill in his front yard ... Until the insects shrink him to the size of a bug with a magic elixir. Convicted of "crimes against the colony," Lucas can only regain his freedom by living with the ants and learning their ways. Zach Tyler Eisen and Julia Roberts lead a cast with the timing to make it work. It was released in 2006. The timing in The Ant Bully is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, The Ant Bully is a strong candidate. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Zach Tyler Eisen sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.