Director Peter Hewitt seems like a decent guy. With "The Borrowers" and the boy-who-propels-himself-into-space-with-his-flatulence UK hit "Thunderpants," the filmmaker has demonstrated a pleasant ability to ease some spirit into material intended for families. Sure, he made "Garfield," but Hewitt is capable of vivacity few of his colleagues care to explore.

I chalk up the minor failure of "Zoom" mostly to Tim Allen. The entire film seems to perceive him as a burden; a foot-dragging comedic presence the film wasn't intended to have, and the only name actor the producers could talk into starring. When Allen's heart isn't into the material, there's no mistaking his sleepy delivery and lack of comic snap. Allen is intended to anchor "Zoom" as the father figure/source of adult comedy. He fails on both ends, and you can sense Hewitt straining to work around the actor to get his film up and running.

While still unexceptional, if you can overlook the snot and fart material that litters the screenplay, the grotesque product placement, along with the rancid Smash Mouth soundtrack, "Zoom" actually has a faint ability to please. If you feel as though you've seen this story before, you have, in the "X-Men" films and last summer's disappointing "Sky High." "Zoom" doesn't have anything to offer the superhero genre, but Hewitt steers the film away from cynicism and the crippling teen angst that made "Sky High" such a chore to sit through. Throw in some lightly amusing supporting turns from Courtney Cox and one good joke from Chevy Chase (for that alone, there should be a national holiday), and the film starts to idle nicely; however, you do have to wait for it.

After an hour of training montages and pratfalls (not Cox's forte), "Zoom" gets to the teamwork portion of the story, and the energy kicks up considerably. The plot's nothing to pay close attention to, but Hewitt knows how to use these characters and their special powers to entertaining lengths. It's rare to see any film improve as it goes, but "Zoom" seems to get more comfortable in its skin by the third act. It's a shame so much time is wasted getting there.