OK. The serious season of Oscar nominees and recipients is over.

It's time for some guilty pleasure.

"Fifty Shades Of Grey"?

No.

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water."

"SpongeBob Square-Pants" (which began on Nickelodeon in 1999) was part of the Saturday morning animation TV show ritual for my son, Elias, and me.

We also enjoyed "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (2004), which we mostly likely saw at our favorite Lehigh Valley downtown first-run movie theater, Bethlehem's now closed Boyd Theatre ("I like it when the curtain opens," a young Elias would remark).

Elias is now a Moravian College senior. His chemistry major-environmental sciences minor classes, student tutoring and campus activities keep his schedule busy. Plus, he didn't really want to see "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water."

"Movie Maven Mike," Michael Gontkosky, of Whitehall, didn't want to see "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," either.

So, here I am, sitting alone in the multiplex, as the previews unreel, awaiting with, yes, anticipation the movie that knocked "American Sniper" from its three-week No. 1 perch.

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" was seen in the 2-D format, although there are some nifty time-travel scenes that would probably be dazzling in 3-D.

The plot in "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is simple and familiar. Plankton wants to steal the secret formula for Krabby Patty from the Krusty Krab restaurant in Bikini Bottom.

If that's not enough, a pirate named Burger Beard (Antonio Banderas) wants to also steal the formula.

Need I say more? Probably not.

The plot, after all, in "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," as with the TV show, is beside the point.

In this, "SpongeBob" is in a cinema legacy of absurdist wordplay and surrealistic visuals stretching back to Mack Sennett, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and "Looney Tunes," as well as iconic comedy such as "The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show" TV show and Terry Gilliam's "Monty Python" animation

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is a fun combination of the simple hand-drawn animation style that typifies the "SpongeBob" TV show, live-action and stop-motion animation.

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is directed by Paul Tibbitt, producer-writer of the "SpongeBob" TV series and first "SpongeBob" movie.

The screenplay is by Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel, co-writers "Kung Fu Panda" and its sequel, from a story by Tibbitt and Stephen Hillenburg, creator, "SpongeBob SquarePants," based on characters created by Hillenburg.

The screenplay is replete with bad puns, so many so that in one scene in the corner there's a rock band named Bad Punz, which provides a rim shot after a particular groaner.

The colors are, shall we say, splashy. And seeing a 10-foot SpongeBob on the big screen is almost as great as seeing the several-stories-high "SpongeBob" float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Other SpongeBob characters are also present and accounted, including Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward and Sandy. There are new characters: Bubbles the dolphin and Squidasaurus Rex.

Don't ask. But, trust me, these characters and their antics are sublimely silly.

As is "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water."

Speaking of the movie's time-travel machine, I felt as though I was 10 again while watching this movie.

I think my son, Elias, and "Movie Maven Mike" would have enjoyed "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water."

I think you will, too.

"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water," MPAA Rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children.) for mild action and rude humor; Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family; Run time: 1 hr., 32 min.; Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous: "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" is dedicated to the memory of Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012), who voiced Mermaid Man. Stay to the very, very, very end for an animated sequence after the credits roll.

Box Office, Feb. 27: Will Smith's "Focus," opening at No. 1 with a low $19.1 million, took the focus off "Fifty Shakes Of Grey," which dropped to No. 4, with $10.9 million, $147.7 million, three weeks; with "Kingsman: The Secret Service" continuing at No. 2, with $11.7 million, $85.6 million, three weeks, and "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water," continuing at No. 3, with $11.2 million, $140.3 million, four weeks;

5. "The Lazarus Effect," $10.6 million, opening; 6. "McFarland, USA," $7.7 million, $21.9 million, two weeks; 7. "American Sniper," $7.7 million, $331.1 million, 10 weeks; 8. "The DUFF," $7.1 million $20 million, two weeks; 9.. "Still Alice" got a Julianne Moore actress Oscar bump, $2.6 million, $11.9 million, seven weeks; 10. "Hot Tub Time Machine 2," $2.4 million, $10.2 million, two weeks.

Unreel, March 6:

"Chappie," R: A police droid is reprogrammed to become the thinking man's or woman's robot. Neil Blomkamp ("District 9," "Elysium") directs Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Sharlto Copley and Dev Patel in the science-fiction thriller.

"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," PG: It's Dev Patel weekend at the movies as he stars in the comedy sequel with Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Judi Dench and Bill Nighy in the comedy sequel directed by John Madden.

"Unfinished Business," R: Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson and Jil Funke star in the comedy about a business trip to Europe gone awry.

Read Paul Willistein's movie reviews at the Lehigh Valley Press web site, thelehighvalley-press.com; the Times-News web site, tnonline. com; and hear them on "Lehigh Valley Art Salon," 6 - 6:30 p.m. Mondays, WDIY 88.1 FM, wdiy.org, where the movie reviews are archived. Email Paul Willistein: pwillistein@ tnonline.com. Follow Paul Willistein on Twitter @PaulWillistein and friend Paul Willistein on facebook.

Two Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes