#jasonheadley

Pixar is known for its rich characters, gorgeous visuals, and imaginative stories that feature emotional depths not reached by most animated films. When compared to the likes of Up, Toy Story, Wall-E and Inside Out, Onward falls short. It’s funny and has the emotional complexity we expect - towards the end - but overall isn’t as carefully thought-out as it should be.

In a world inhabited by centaurs, elves, pixies, satyrs and other mythical creatures, magic used to be commonplace but ha been replaced by modern-day appliances and technology. Timid Iandore “Ian” Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) and his role-playing, magic/fantasy fanatic brother Barley (voiced by Chris Pratt) receive a spell from their late father that will allow him to return for 24 hours. Unfortunately, their attempt at the spell goes awry. Now, they have to find a magic gem to complete the enchantment before it’s too late.

As in all of Pixar’s films, you can see the money at work. The visuals are terrific. In the backgrounds, you’ll see funny fantasy versions of famous brand names or gags that clearly show the animators and set designers were passionate about this project. You’ll find laughs aplenty as the two brothers go on a modern-day version of a Dungeons and Dragons quest, complete with deadly traps, puzzles to be solved and strange monsters each given their own twist.

There’s a lot to like, particularly the ending, which is smart and mature. Despite this, the overall quest feels askew. The fairytale setting is more like a gimmick than a necessity. Seeing centaurs driving cars and elves doing aerobics is a nice gag but it's not enough for a whole movie. Compare it to Disney's Zootopia, whose animal cast were symbols for gender and race but also worked as anthropomorphic creatures with unique traits. There are missed opportunities in the premise, and in the side story with the teen's mom (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) searching for her sons with the help of Corey (Octavia Spencer) the manticore. Details about the adventure are sloppy. We learn the gem the boys need is protected by a curse but when we see it unfold, it isn’t really a curse; more of an additional defense against thieves. Structurally, Ian and Barley’s father is another missed opportunity. Their first attempt at bringing him back yields unexpected and amusing results for the audience but it means the film has to drag a non-character along with them. Barring the scenes where good use is made of the “half-a-person” visual, he doesn't serve much purpose.

Onward is preceded by a short animated film starring Maggie Simpson of The Simpsons. Like the main feature it accompanies, it’s ok but I don’t think it’s anything you’ll be coming back to frequently. While it may be a disappointment compared to what we expect from Pixar, if you go in with lowered expectations, you'll have a great time. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 6, 2020)

In the wake of Marfa Film Festival 2018, I’ve been jonesing for some more offbeat, under the radar cinema from the past few years.  Luckily, with a plethora of streaming services at my disposal, the search is not an impossible one.  While digging through Amazon Prime, I came across a section of SXSW Film Festival 2017 selections, and the minimalism of the poster for A Bad Idea Gone Wrong immediately got my attention.  A quick peak at the trailer, and I was all in.

Marlon (Matt Jones) and Leo (Will Rogers) are in need of a quick score, and their plan is simple.  Break into a house that Leo has discovered that is unattended for the week, take their time robbing the place, and leave without leaving a trace.  Upon entry, however, things immediately start going awry.  First, Marlon accidentally arms the system, forcing the pair to have to figure out a way to break out of the home.  Then, while investigating the home, they come upon Darcy (Eleanore Pienta), a young woman house-sitting for the week.  The pair is forced to continuously adjust their plans and tactics to navigate the less than ideal robbery turned sudden kidnapping. 

While presented as a heist film, the film really works better as a loose framework for three actors with chemistry to have some funny and dramatic moments together.  Matt Jones and Will Rogers have a wonderfully masculine friendship full of standard male traits, the root of it all being an inability to share information that matters with one another, leading towards auxiliary situations as solutions for issues that would be better addressed at the root.  Jones and Eleanore Pienta form intimate bonds over a strained situation, both seemingly using one another as surrogates for other issues in their life.  The entire proceeding is a serious event drowsed in humor, played mostly straight with the laughs coming quite naturally.  The film is full of small laughs that keep things moving forward.

The dueling break-ins provide freshness to a scenario that is normally full of tropes and by the book.  A third intruder simply taking advantage of a chance to squat throws a wonderful monkey-wrench into a pair of cat burglars not very high on the tree of skill level.  Watching both parties with their own vested direct and emotional interests try to coexist and work around one another keeps the hilarity and entertainment coming nonstop.  Everyone’s methods, rash plans and actions keep the narrative pace moving and new information constantly coming. 

Where this film really works is when it drops the expectation subversion on the viewer.  You’re led down a certain path, but given the expectation that things may or may not be as they seem.  Once the rubber hits the road, expectations and stakes are shifted, and character connections are thrown constantly out of balance.  Once the real payoff hits, the film reaches new dramatic and emotional depths, but not at the expense of the well-established humor.

I’ve been a fan of Matt Jones for a hot minute, as his super laid-back demeanor works extremely well with his sense of humor, and his penchant for off-beat roles serves those characteristics well.  Will Rogers reminds me of Ron Livingston from Office Space quite a bit, with his reluctance to let go and his hesitance to accept somehow ultimately working out for him despite all common forces of nature.  Eleanore Pienta makes up the main acting trilogy, with her carefree and flippant nature being a great offset to Jones and Rogers’s (barely) dogmatic approaches.