Thursday, November 26, 2009

FANTASTIC MR. FOX




Animated drama

PRINCIPAL VOICES
George Clooney: Mr. Fox
Meryl Streep: his wife Felicity, an artist
Jason Schwartzman: their son Ash
Eric Anderson: his cousin Kristofferson
Owen Wilson: Coach Skip
Bill Murray: Mr. Fox’s badger lawyer
Wally Wolodarsky: Mr. Fox’s faithful sidekick, Kylie the opossum
Robin Hurlstone: chicken farmer Walter Boggis (and Jacques Parizeau look- alike)
Hugh Guinness: Nathan Bunce who raises ducks and geese
Michael Gambon: Franklin Bean, manufacturer of alcoholic hard cider
Willem Dafoe: Rat, the security boss

REVIEW
The title says it all: it is a fantastic movie with all the right elements. The smart, funny, grown-up script seems to have been written more with adults and older kids in mind than for children. The voice work is superlative with just the right nuance and phrasing.

The inter-titles (aka title cards) which are a throwback to the era of silent movies are a clever touch, reminiscent as I recall of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? In any event like that film this one is full of witty dialogue that often provokes smiles and sometimes outright laughter. And like Sundance there are exciting action sequences to keep things moving along at a good clip.

The soundtrack is a delight as are the close-up expressions. This is a fun outing.

CLASSIFICATION
for action, smoking and slang humor.

P.S.
The writers have gone to great length making sure there are no naughty words and keeping it family-friendly by employing the more socially acceptable “what the cuss” instead of the usual “what the @*!#”. How refreshing.

P.S.S.
Like other members of the Canidae biological family (that also includes wolves, jackals, coyotes and the domestic dog) the offspring of foxes are called pups.

1 comment:

Steve Brandon said...

Ah, I see I'm not the only person in the world who made the Boggis = Parizeau connection: http://twitpic.com/ra25c