Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox

 I'm not sure how cool it was to have this song playing during this scene. Seems a little dark. (Yes, I'm joking.)

Wes Anderson’s (Rushmore, The Life Aquatic) long awaited adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s novel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, opens in wide release next week.  With witty dialogue mixed with the charm and nostalgia of classic stop-animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a silly, smart, sweet and truly fantastic tale of existential angst.  Slightly irreverent and touching on some adult themes, it still retains oodles of kid's appeal, though it’s probably the adults who will have the most fun.  Beautifully understated, muted, even drab landscapes are inhabited by exceptionally voiced and meticulously crafted characters. As Mr. Fox struggles between his wild animal urges and the demands of being a "domesticated" family man, the film maintains a loose and whimsical tone despite the years of planning and production that went into it.  Music, composition and tone keep it firmly in Anderson's oeuvre, but stop-animation combined with a sophisticated contemporary script elevate it from retro homage to something very special.  Fantastic Mr. Fox is simply wonderful.  And the animals wear clothes and have cell phones, and that is always fun.

Mr. Fox (George Clooney) is a bored columnist for the local paper, but he wasn’t always.  Lean and lanky, with a cunning mind, sharp eyesight and a knack for leadership, Mr. Fox is a chicken thief…and a wild animal.  Though he gave up his criminal vocation at the behest of his lovely wife (Meryl Streep) upon the announcement she’s expecting their first cub, Asch (Jason Schwartzman), Mr. Fox gets a little itchy for his old life.  After moving from their humble hole to a posh tree house they can’t really afford, Mr. Fox gives in to temptation after living in sight of three of the meanest and richest farmers around.  He secretly revives his life of crime with farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean as his targets and sets in motion series of cataclysmic events that affect the entire animal community.

Mild violence and dangerous situations aren't as intense in this superbly unreal yet entirely authentic world Anderson has created. He's made a story about farmers' blood lust for a conniving fox into a heartfelt family dramedy.  As Ash struggles to live up to his father's all pro Whack-Bat legendary status, his father learns to accept his slightly odd son for who he is.  It's just, well, really heartwarming. But don't worry, there's still lot of action, chicken stealing, tunnel digging and more macho things like that.

And this is why you should always wear smart pajamas. You never know when a farmer is going to dig up your house in the middle of the night and you have to make a run for it.

My favorite part of Fantastic Mr. Fox is the language.  Instead of spouting out any of the “Seven Dirty Words”, the word “cuss” is used.  Examples are few but includes phrases like, “This is a total cluster cuss.” and “What the cuss?”  Anderson and co-writer/frequent collaborator Noah Baumbach (The Squid and The Whale) probably had a blast writing this screenplay. In today’s zero tolerance school zones mimicry of these sayings might be a problem.  But perhaps that issue can just be added to the post-movie dialogue which might also include questions of the ethics of Mr. Fox, environmental destruction caused by the farmers and why all the animals wear clothes except for the poor chickens.  Or you could just not make a big deal about it and let kids ask what they want, 'cause that's what my parents did.

So, yes, Fantastic Mr. Fox has some hard-drinking, cigar-smoking farmers chasing after sometimes potty-mouthed three-piece suit wearing woodland creatures.  But, if you recall, The Muppet Movie had Hare Krishna jokes, Steve Martin in short shorts and a romance between a Weirdo and chicken.  Films like Where the Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr. Fox are reviving that Henson style of filmmaking that never underestimated the intelligence and humor of children yet always snuck something in there for the adults.  These new films are a refreshing and much needed antidote to the saccharine and simply formulaic barrage of kid’s flicks made in the last decade or more.  Anderson brings us a fresh look at the standard animal family in peril without any of the standby emotional manipulation so often used by Disney and the like, making it a good movie, not just decent kid's flick.  Immensely satisfying and imaginative, Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of Anderson’s most complete and layered movies to date and this time it’s for the whole family.

****/*****

Fantastic Mr. Fox
now in limited release, opens nation wide 11/25
87min
Dir.: Wes Anderson
Writ.: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, from book by Roald Dahl
Starring: George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and lot of other nice surprises
Rated PG for action, slang, and smoking 'cause kids are total wusses.