“Excuse me? Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat?”
What’s it all about? “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a story about how Mr. Fox (George Clooney) outwits his farmer neighbours to steal their food from right under their noses — all while keeping his thievery a secret from his wife (Meryl Streep) and son (Jason Schwartzman).
I will bet you a dollar that somebody somewhere has invented a drinking game based on the amount of times “cuss” is said in “Fantastic Mr. Fox”. Because it’s an animated film — and that somehow means it’s for kids — Wes Anderson made the right move and made sure no one swore. (His protagonists are notorious for saying “asshole” whenever they can.) But why in the hell would he write his script, just replacing “fuck” with “cuss”? It still sounds like those sweet little puppets are swearing. For example: ‘You little cuss’, ‘Are you cussing with me?’ and, my personal favourite, ‘Cuss yeah, you are!’. The swearing isn’t the only part of the film that’s a little too mature for the kids. There are a few scenes with characters drinking and smoking. Mr. Fox even goes as far to describe the alcoholic apple cider as “pure melted gold”. And why does Mrs. Fox tell Mr. Fox that she loves him but should never have married him? Hmm. These are some great things to have to explain to your six-year-old niece in the car ride home from the theatre.
If you’re going to see this film with your family, I’d suggest keeping the younglings at home. Some animated films are just not for the young and impressionable (see: “Rescuers Down Under”, “Bambi” and the traumatizing, life-altering “Fern Gully”). But for those that are a little older, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is an enjoyable romp with a cast stacked with Hollywood gold. There’s George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and countless others. Jason Schwartzman, in particular, does a fabulous job with his voice acting. You’re immediately fond of Mr. Fox’s son even though he’s a little bit of a shit. And for all those cynics who think Mr. Anderson is too self-indulgent and obsessed with mise-en-scene, well, it seems like all those attributes lend themselves amazingly well to animation. I loved this little adventure in stop-motion — but I can’t wait for some more of Mr. Anderson’s stories about messed up twenty-somethings with daddy issues, great suits and substance abuse problems.
Favourite Scene: I loved the scene where Mr. Fox rallied the troops, asking each of them their specialty. The badger’s (Bill Murray) response is laugh-out-loud surprising. If you listen closely — very closely — you can hear Adrien Brody voice acting one of the group’s smallest members.
Notes: Directed by Wes Anderson; Produced by Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Allison Abbate, Steven M. Rales; Written by Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, Roald Dahl; Starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jarvis Cocker, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Helen McCrory; Music by Alexandre Desplat; Cinematography by Tristan Oliver; Editing by Andrew Weisblum.
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How did I never hear of this movie? It sounds pretty decent. I'll probably rent this.
I'm pretty sure the DVD doesn't come out until March. I watched it at a revue cinema.
Fantastic Mr. Fox was one of my favourite books when I was little. :)
I thought Jason Schwartzman was perfect as the son.