Movie: Inside Out
My Rating: 4 stars
I had been meaning to see this movie for a little while. I even made plans to see it in the theater one time, but never got around to it. (Well actually, I was supposed to go with really flaky friends who couldn’t get their act together in time to make the screening). But, I wanted to see it enough that I rented the movie as soon as it was available on DVD. And, I can’t say I was disappointed. I was actually a little surprised because people just LOVED this one. And, when people are raving about a film, I’m usually disappointed simply because of the heightened expectations. I was told I would cry, and I didn’t. And, I do like to cry during movies, so I was planning on really going for it. But, maybe by anticipating these possibly emotional scenes, I prevented myself from really getting worked up. But, I won’t hold that against the film.
I really liked the premise of this story. It’s set inside a young girl, Riley’s, brain. All her emotions are played by wacky cartoon characters. There’s plenty of room for some fresh jokes when it comes to how the different emotions play off each other (especially in a teenage girl’s hormone-addled head—yikes!). And, the script didn’t shy away from either the obvious or the subtle jokes. And, I’ll admit it. I like both. I’m not above laughing at a sloppily veiled boner joke. However, I don’t really go in for the heavy-handed, sappy story lines. Just typing the phrase, “a coming-of-age tale in which a young girl comes to terms with her changing body” practically makes me gag. I also hated just about every scene with Riley’s terrible parents too. I know that the generations rarely see eye to eye, but these guys were going out of their way to be corny fools. These are the kind of people who are out of touch with their own generation, let alone the younger one. But at lest they found love in each other’s unappealing arms.
Despite these several complaints, I still liked this movie. I found more things to like about it than to dislike. And, I think it’s generally a crowd pleaser. Kids will definitely love it. And, your corny parents too. Although, for some reason I got the feeling that it might be just a little too progressive for your uptight grandma. She doesn’t tend to go in for young ladies playing hockey and won’t forgive them for sassing their moms. But, you might be able to shame her into keeping her thoughts to herself for the duration. But enough people will like it that I feel comfortable recommending the movie for a mixed crowd.