Ok…let’s get it out of the way so I don’t have to think about it for the rest of the review: Fantastic Mr. Fox is Fantastic. Yay for movies that write their own review headlines. Now, for those of you who have the same fears that everyone has when seeing a movie by Wes Anderson, rest assured that the dry, improperly timed, overly nervous “comedic” stylings that plague his other movies like Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, don’t actually come back to haunt Mr. Fox in the same ways. Though still dry, the comedic timing is spot on, yet still very unconventional. You don’t always see a joke coming, but it’s sharp and quick, intelligent, simple, and most of all, confident. Unlike other movies where even the cast stands around on camera waiting for a laugh track, Fantastic Mr. Fox isn’t afraid to move on, mostly because the sly Mr. Fox (George Clooney) just doesn’t have the time to dwell on such trivial things like what’s funny or not along with the fact that most of the dialogue is natural humor, not shit forced in like a sitcom.
Sucks that I have to spend so much time defending the comedy in this film, but that’s what Wes Anderson tends to struggle with most…that and just a crappy story, but that’s not a concern here as Mr. Fox is actually based off a tale by master storyteller Roald Dahl and is just as fun as any of his other stories, though maybe not as grandiose as the chocolate factory books. Fantastic Mr. Fox is about Mr. Fox who is nearing the same age his father was when he died and doesn’t feel like he’s led a satisfying life, starting with the hole in the ground he calls a home (which is a hole in the ground). Moving him and his family to a tree in a “bad part of town” (in front of three farms inhabited by quirky, unstable and/or sadistic farmers), he begins to wreak havoc in ways that foxes tend to when near a farm and starts a game of fox and hound (like cat and mouse but less funny and requires explanation like a Wes Anderson joke…ah shit) with the local farmers.
The fun of this film comes from the lengths that both sides of this war go to achieve their goals and it quite simply is a battle of brains vs. brawn. With shotguns and bulldozers, the farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean rape and pillage their land while Mr. Fox and his memorable “band of thieves” simply dig under them and steal their shit with the kind of comfort that this was the plan all the time. The glaring lack of panic these characters have is funny and charming and makes it a very comfortable and enjoyable watch that keeps you engaged every step of the way. Just like with Gandhi yesterday, the theme of the story is “ok, old man, your move. What you got?” By the end of it, you are left with a clever, heartwarming tale that doesn’t try to be sappy or dumb; it just tries to say “foxes are smarter than you.”
On the subject of appearance, I struggle because too many times to I see stop motion animation be called “groundbreaking,” but I have no idea what that means anymore. Between Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, which took me to new heights with stop motion animation because the best character I could make out of clay was Jabba the Hutt (though I was trying for a cat or…well…anything with legs), it’s hard to know the standards are, but knowing that it was stop motion, Fantastic Mr. Fox is absolutely beautiful for a film that didn’t have the luxury of tweening that conventional 3D or 2D animation does. Though sometimes glaringly obvious that the world was the size of a shoe box, the characters and landscapes are richly detailed and full of variety. From sewers to supermarkets, Fantastic Mr. Fox isn’t a thrilling adventure, but one that feels just right, like the road trip you take to just get away for a few days.
With splendid dialogue, a fun and captivating story, and deep, memorable characters, this film is filled with a lot of things that were done right and I am left with something that I could watch again and again. In a new high for a Wes Anderson film (my favorite being Life Aquatic that would get a 7 from me), I give Fantastic Mr. Fox a fantastic (fuck, I did it again) 9 dustbusters out of 10 and encourage you to give this film a try.
I definitely need to see this one again. I've actually seen it twice...the first time there was a wee bit of alcohol involved and I loved it! The second time, no booze and I remember thinking that I just wasn't having as much fun with it as I did the first time. I honestly think that was just the mood I was in talkin', because every point you make is spot-on. I'll watch it again when I'm in a better frame of mind, and I'm sure Mr. Fox and I will have a grand time. Again.
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