Director Wes Anderson brings his quirky style to the quirky world of children's writer Roald Dahl. Brought to life in stop-motion puppet animation, the raw feel is just right. The precise cast handles the eccentricities perfectly. The mix is pretty fantastic.
Mr. Fox (George Clooney, THE MAN WHO STARE AT GOATS) was the most suave chicken thief around until one day, a life threatening incident made a pregnant Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep, ADAPTATION.) make him promise to give up his dangerous lifestyle. Years later Mr. Fox is a paper pusher and determined to move his family out of their foxhole and into a new tree house. The new digs happen to be across from the farms of the notoriously mean farmers Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon, HARRY POTTER), Walter Boggis (Robin Hurlstone) and Nathan Bunce (Hugo Guinness), so he enlists his handyman Kylie the possum (Wallace Wolodarsky, THE DARJEELING LIMITED) to help him steal once again.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fox's awkward son Ash (Jason Schwartzman, RUSHMORE) must live up to the legend of his athletic father. Making matters worse is the visit of his cousin Kristofferson (Eric Chase Anderson, THE LIFE AQUATIC), who is about perfect at everything and instantly grabs the attention of Mr. Fox. Kristofferson is so cool and zen, it just makes Ash want to spit.
While the tone is completely different, it's hard not to compare this film to Spike Jonze's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Both films are family tales that retain the style of their unique directors and have no interest in talking down to the youngest audience members. One of the funniest running gags is that every possible curse word is replaced by the word cuss. Like all of Anderson's films, his strange sense of humor results in big laughs, but also a few awkward silences. The former far outweighs the latter though, and sometimes those silences are brilliant nonetheless.
Clooney gives Mr. Fox a cool demeanor. His signature click and whistle is just his thing. But he's also cocky. Like a champion athlete, he doesn't know when to give up. Streep plays his wife like a cross between Alice Kramden and Lauren Bacall. She knows her husband and doesn't like it, but has come to except it. Schwartzman steals whole sections of the film. But I guess that's acceptable for a heist flick. He's given one of the most naturally unusual and authentic teens; fox or not. He nails that teenage insecurity with great humor.
Gambon's Bean is a vicious villain. He will go to any extreme to get Mr. Fox. His relentlessness creates a nice touch of tension to the story. But so does Mr. Fox's attitude. Ash is also relentless – relentless in trying to prove himself to his father. This puts him and others in danger. Like father like son isn't always a good thing.
Anderson makes a family film about family dynamics. The humor is like a wink to the audience based on personalities. When Mr. Fox outwits the farmers you have to laugh. When Ash makes his cousin sleep under his train set you have to laugh. When Mrs. Fox observes it all with those squinted eyes of a woman who knows what's up you have to laugh. This might be a film about foxes and other animals, but it's such a human comedy. It's a cussin' fun film.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
