Friday’s Featured Film – 2/5/10
New movies are usually released to theaters every Friday, but who’s got 10 bucks these days to drop on a movie that may well be a load of crap? Given those odds, on Friday I offer an alternative on DVD that you can rent at your local video store (or in some cases, avoid at all costs). Some will be new releases, others you may have to hunt for, but all of them are available to light up your small screen should it be a lazy Friday night.
Finding Nemo
My little girl is now at that age where she becomes absolutely enthralled by movies. As in, wants to watch the same movie over and over and over again. This fact has the very real possibility of driving Heather and I absolutely insane, depending on what movies she attaches herself to. Thankfully, her favorite as of late has been Pixar’s classic Finding Nemo. We’ve watched “Meemo” more times over the past couple weeks than I care to count, but seeing the movie for the first time(s) in quite a while has reminded my how great it is and just why I still consider it the greatest animated film ever made.
For the uninitiated, Nemo (voice of Alexander Gould) is a clownfish, and the only son of Marlin (Albert Brooks). After a tragic beginning to his life left Nemo without his mom and with a gimpy fin, Marlin has become the most overprotective father in the ocean. Nemo is growing up and ready to start school, which has Marlin absolutely terrified. Nemo comes to resent his dad’s doting, and one day an act of defiance gets him nabbed by a diver, who whisks him away on a boat right before his dad’s eyes. While Nemo adjusts to life in a dentist’s fishtank, Marlin , aided by an absent minded fish named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), frantically crosses the ocean in search of his lost son, meeting countless colorful creatures along the way.
Director Andrew Stanton, who also helmed 2008’s excellent WALL-E and has contributed in some form to just about every Pixar film, balances humor, emotion, and visual magnificence to create a flat-out masterpiece. Like all of Pixar’s work, this movie is inhabited by real characters, not just cartoon cutouts. By the end of the movie, I find myself deeply moved by the story of a fish father and son, whether it’s my first viewing or my 50th. You’ll quickly find yourself seeing past the fins and gills and looking at characters that are endearing because of just how real the seem. The voice cast deserves major kudos, with DeGeneres turning in a particularly good performance and the cast of characters inhabiting the dentist’s tank – which includes Willem Dafoe, Allison Janney, and Brad Garrett – ensuring that the film doesn’t miss a beat when its focus transitions from Marlin to Nemo. There are some brilliantly sly and funny moments (the movie’s ending induces a grin every time I see it), but kids will find it just as funny as adults thanks to some great slapstick moments as well. If you’ve got kids – or heck, even if you don’t – you owe it to your family to see this movie. If you’ve got to watch a movie over and over and over again, it might as well be this one. – **** (out of 4)
Finding Nemo is rated G.
