Smile Darn Ya Smile

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2006)

This movie is excellent! It's funny, suspenseful,& witty. The leads, Roger & Eddie are likable in their own unique ways and the FX are breathtaking! Bob Hoskins & Chris Lloyd deserved Oscar nods IMO.
WFRR is what most of today's CGI films "pretend" to be! A mature, family film that people of many generations can enjoy!
Anyone who hasn't seen this film I definitely recommend it! If you like quirky comedies,fantasies, suspenseful films, or are a cartoon geek watch WFRR!...
As a huge fan of all things comedic, I love the film's message about laughter!
When the film opens, detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is this disenchanted, cynical alkie who hasn't gotten over the murder of his brother who was killed by a toon...Because of this Eddie[ who was once known for his penchant for solving toon-related cases, getting the colorful playful creatures out of trouble] resents ALL toons now and refuses to work for or with them.
Too bad Roger Rabbit doesn't know this. He is a toon who is wanted for a murder he didn't commit and hounded by the creepy & corrupt judge/jury/executioner : Judge Doom. Thus he seeks Valiant's help. During their search for the true killer and their evasion of Judge Doom & his weasel cohorts, Eddie wonders how Roger can have such an exuberant clownlike spirit in the face of possible death. Roger tells Eddie "a laugh can be a very powerful thing, why sometimes in life it's the only weapon we have."
The tone of the film is a mixture of dark noir frenetic tooniness a sultry yet strong damsel (the one and only Jessica Rabbit) and social racial allegory.
The film's theme of minorities (the toons) vs. genocide & "the man" (Judge Doom)....And of Eddie's prejudices against toons (due to his brother's murder) disappearing at the end, thus he overcomes his alcoholism and grief or Roger's very motto of "Laughter is a powerful weapon" and how that helps Eddie in the final showdown (by killing the weasels with laughter and thwarting Judge Doom with a toon prop that malfunctions his diabolical machine).
American Pop-culture & escapism ARE powerful weapons against misery, hatred & life's hardships in general. And they help unite all different walks of life.
WFRR takes place in the WWII era towards the 50s...While the 40's were a time of American unity, escapism & pop-culture (what the "toons" represent) The 50's were more about cold hard, capitalism technology & being superior..I feel that the megalomaniac villain represents THAT as well as the racial/cultural insensitivity that came with the 50's.
But no matter how you interpret WFRR it's an American masterpiece! There seems to be some controversy on what age it is appropriate for....Be warned this film IS violent loud climatic and more likely than not, will scare a young child. But if you are a parent you have to know your kid and realize what will give him or her nightmares. Having said that, even if you won't let junior watch it, that doesn't mean you, yourself can't enjoy it, the next time it comes on Encore Mystery.
There are a lot of "Judge Dooms" these days...People who are perpetually serious & full of themselves & really have NO sense of humor at all...Don't be a Judge Doom...Watch this movie!