Fantastic Mr. Fox delivers humanity without humans

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie. Enjoy.

review by Peter Lewis

Wes Anderson is the golden boy auteur of the past 15 years. Bursting into the national consciousness with two near perfect films, “Bottle Rocket” & “Rushmore,” he was a breath of fresh air, becoming the directorial paragon for Generation Y. In 2001 he upped the artistic ante even further with the impeccable film, “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

While one can’t really speculate if the supposed weight of success got to him or not, Wes finally stumbled. “The Life Aquatic” with Steve Zissou and “The Darjeeling Limited,” while good films, suffer quite noticeably in comparison to his earlier films. So it was with genuine curiosity and slight trepidation that I entered the theater this past weekend to see the latest in Anderson’s oeuvre, the stop motion animated “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

All of Anderson’s previous films were live action and generally feature a lot of the same actors. I found it especially curious that he seemed to branch out a little bit with his choice of voice actors in this film. Both the title fox and his wife were voiced by first time collaborators (George Clooney and Meryl Streep respectively), while some of the more notable collaborators (Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson) were relegated to fairly small supporting roles. My mention of this is not meant as a detraction. Rather, it seems, in retrospect at least, as a sort of clue of what was to come. In that I mean Anderson seems to have stepped out of his comfort zone while still maintaining the key aspects of what has become his cinematic style.

The premise of the film is based on a story by the incomparable Roald Dahl. In it, the title Fox strives to outwit the nefarious farmers Boggis, Bunce, and Bean who are out to destroy him (to be fair, Mr. Fox is thieving their goods, but that is simply what wild foxes are want to do). It is a story of protection and survival, as Mr. Fox strives to keep the danger of the outside world at bay.

Admirably played by George Clooney, Mr. Fox is a gentlemanly rapscallion, in love with the spotlight and with deep yearning for action (for those familiar with Wes Anderson’s previous films, the general make up with this character should sound familiar). Though Mr. Fox is, ironically, much more urbane, I was reminded of Clooney’s character in “O! Brother, Where Art Thou?” Both fashion themselves as a sort of dapper savior savant, both are at varying odds with their family, and both seem to have a knack with coming through in a pinch.

What sets this particular film apart (and perhaps even above) the rest of Anderson’s works, is the emotional depth. It is somewhat paradoxical to state it as thus, but for the first time in a long time, a honest humanity can be easily found in the characters. Heretofore, Anderson seemed to cloak his characters in a sort of sardonic hipness that was unreachable. Sure, it was funny and smart, but there was no visceral connection.

When you watch Mr. Fox striving to set the world right, earnestly concerned for the well being of others, it is real in a way that Anderson never seems to be able to find in his live action actors.

This emotional availability is found throughout the film in most every actor that voiced a character. Whether it was Jason Schwartzman’s patented obsessive neurosis as Mr. Fox’s son or the soothing presence of Agnes (voiced by Cate Blanchett), each character seemed to be uniquely married to the actor. Particularly amazing was Willem Dafoe’s take on the switchblade wielding, finger-snapping security rat. Though the role was relatively small, his presence (as always) was electric (the pun will become clear).

Underneath the subtext of protection, the filmed seemed to posses an underlying message of preservation. For fear of spoiling the film, I don’t wish to get into too much detail. However, when viewing the film, I got the impression that Anderson was (perhaps unintentionally) making a point about the loss of wild habitat for animals and the consequences therein.

Atmospherics have always been one of the key hallmarks of an Anderson film. With his keen ear and serious knack for adept placement of music, Anderson always knows how to put a stamp on a film. Fantastic Mr. Fox was no different. From “Heroes and Villains” by the Beach Boys to the subtle inclusion of the Bobby Fuller Four, the musical choices for the film were spot on and added an additional emotional layer to the events on the screen.

To put it quite simply, the film is a remarkable achievement. Like the literature from which the film was born, it possesses the unique quality to please both parent and child.  And that, my friend, ain’t easy to do.

• Fantastic Mr. Fox is playing at the Carmike 14 in Fort Smith and the Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith. Link here for time and ticket info.

Feedback
Feel free to contact Peter Lewis at [email protected]

You can also track Peter at his Twitter site.