ONWARD (animated, 2020)

March 5, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. No studio has ever had a 25 year run like Pixar. This is their 22nd feature film over that span and every single one lands somewhere in the range of brilliant/instant classic to watchable/re-watchable. Though this latest may not reach instant classic level, it does stick to the Pixar standard template of highly entertaining while delivering a life lesson. This is the first time in the Pixar director’s chair for Dan Scanlon since MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013). It’s also the first original Pixar since COCO (2017) … and note, it’s rated PG.

The film opens with a “history” lesson detailing how the world was once populated by enchanted creatures like elves, unicorns, wizards, mermaids, fairies and sprites. Science and technology created shortcuts and soon the world’s “magic” had disappeared, relegating these creatures to life in the suburbs. We pick up the story on Ian Lightfoot’s 16th birthday. Ian is part of an elf family that includes his older brother Barley and their widowed mother Laurel. While Barley is a loud and rambunctious type who is obsessed with the Quest of Yore game and mythology (think Dungeons & Dragons), Ian is a more pensive type who still mourns the late father he never met. Both brothers are surprised when their mother presents a “gift” from their dad – one he left instructions to be held until Ian turned 16. The gift is a magical wizard staff that, with the included precious stone, can bring dad back to life for 24 hours.

Barley’s knowledge of the magical spells combined with Ian’s lack of self-confidence ends up botching things to the point that only half of dad is brought back – the bottom half. Under a tight deadline and in need of a replacement gem to bring dad back for a much desired final conversation, the brothers take off on an adventure that turns pretty wild. Their quest leads them to cross paths with many of the previously enchanted creatures, including the fabulous Manticore, and mom’s boyfriend, Officer Colt Bronco.

We have come to expect ‘magic’ from Pixar with every movie, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It may not be quite as awe-inspiring as some of their best work, but it’s still a terrific suburban fantasy adventure filled with comedy and life lessons … the most crucial of which is: being happy with what you have is more crucial to your inner-peace than getting what you hope for.

As always, the voice acting is top notch. Tom Holland (SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING) delivers the goods as Ian, and Chris Pratt (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) brings the necessary wonder and excitement to brother Barley. Julia Louis-Dreyfus never really gets to shine as their mother, but then this story is focused on the boys. Octavia Spencer has fun as Manticore (we needed more Manticore!), Mel Rodriguez is a hoot as Officer Colt Bronco, and yes of course, John Ratzenberger sneaks in – he’s now voiced a character in all 22 Pixar films.

This is the first Pixar film to be totally free of input from ousted President John Lasseter, and it’s one of the very few to be released outside of the summer or awards season. The likely reason is that the studio has a second original film being released this June. SOUL will be directed by Pete Docter and is viewed as a companion piece to the already classic INSIDE OUT (2015). Given the time of year, it could be easy to overlook ONWARD, but it nails the Pixar trademark emotional finale … delivering a sentimental scene likely to stick with you. I have praised Pixar many times over the years as their creative teams really seem to “get it”. Regardless of the month, ONWARD will cast a spell.

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson

OVERBOARD (2018)

May 4, 2018

 Greetings again from the darkness. It’s interesting that movies and TV sitcoms are fair game when it comes to remakes. We don’t find authors re-writing Hemingway or Fitzgerald. A painter who copies Picasso is labeled a forger. Even when a pianist interprets a Chopin piece, it’s still clearly Chopin. Ahh, but movie remakes are to be accepted as new art – a shiny new creation. Of course, any movie lover worth their salt (is that still an acceptable phrase?) will compare new to old – remake to original. And since first impressions aren’t allowed a do-over, we typically find the remake somewhat lacking.

Director Rob Greenberg and co-writer Bob Fisher simply flip the 1987 original concept from writer Leslie Dixon, where she had Goldie Hawn as the rich heiress and Kurt Russell as the blue collar opportunist. This gender-switch differs from what typically makes headlines these days, and is meant to add a contemporary feel to the story. Anna Faris takes on the role of Kate, a single mom working multiple jobs as she raises 3 daughters while also prepping for the Nursing exam. Mexican movie star Eugenio Derbez (INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED) may be best known in the U.S. for introducing COCO at this year’s Oscars ceremony, and here he plays Leonardo, a do-nothing playboy heir to a corporate empire. Leo’s typical day is spent on his $60 million birthday yacht enjoying the company of supermodels while mostly ignoring the crew, except when he needs mango or papaya.

Act 1 is the set up where we acknowledge that Leo is a spoiled brat representing the evil one-percenters, and Kate is the good-hearted working class hero we are supposed to root for. Their initial confrontations are poorly handled and soon both have taken the film’s title to heart – she after being pushed by him, and he after conking his head and winding up washed ashore with amnesia. The gist of the story is that Kate conspires to have the concussed Leo act as her husband until he pays her back for her work and she can complete her nursing studies.

The only real interesting things to discuss here are the choices of the filmmakers. Mr. Greenberg is known mostly for TV sitcoms, and it’s quite obvious with how the comedic scenes play out. Admiration and respect go out for allowing much of the film to be bi-lingual (yes, with subtitles), and for taking a risk on the crossover appeal of Mr. Derbez as a leading man. However, what doesn’t work is pretty much everything else. We never buy Faris as a working class mom cold-hearted enough to pull off this scheme. Plus, she is simply not a very good actress and has poor comedic timing throughout the movie. Likeable? Yes. Effective in the role? No.  There is also a weak attempt to comment on the working conditions of manual laborers, and it just falls flat.

Thank goodness for the supporting cast. John Hannah as Colin, the chief of the crew, is far too talented for this production, and shines in his too-few scenes. Eva Longoria plays Kate’s friend Theresa, and her relationship with husband Bobby (a terrific Mel Rodriguez) would have made a far superior movie to what is presented here. There is also a brilliant use of Mexican TV soap operas contrasted with the Norwegian yacht crew watching Leo on the closed-circuit system. Despite these sparks of hope, the film mostly lacks the charm of Kurt and Goldie, although judging from the audience response, many will disagree.

watch the trailer:

Leave a Comment » | Comedy | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson