not quite as clever as it thinks it is

Rating: 5/10 (28 November 2009)

George Clooney is pretty much the same character he played in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou". As in that movie, by far the best thing about "Mr. Fox" is the music, although "Brother" was somewhat better in that regard. Who is this movie for? It is too dark for children--I very much regret taking my 7-year-old to see it, and some younger girls nearby seemed traumatized. And yet it is not an adult movie either; animated animals, cartoon violence, and no fully realized characters. A appearance by a wolf near the end is clearly meant to be a great peroration, but is set up and executed is so perfunctory a manner as to be almost embarrassing. Wes Anderson seems to think that the movie is quite ironic and clever; to me it lacks humanity and any real insight. The animation is beautiful and the music is quite well executed. There are a few scenes that are quite good, mostly involving the relationship between Ash and his cousin Kristofferson. These are the primary strengths of a movie that disappoints overall.