The Mitchells vs the Machines

MOVIE TITLE:     The Mitchells vs the Machines

RATING:   PG

LENGTH:   1 hour 53 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

This animated family adventure by Phil Lord and Chris Miller is completely adorable and came out of nowhere.  I never saw any marketing for it and hadn’t heard anything about it until two of my friends from high school recommended it to me on the Movie Review Mom Facebook group and I’m so glad they did!  I absolutely loved it!  We now have a contender for “Best Animation” for next year’s Academy Awards.

Here’s the Netflix description:  A quirky, dysfunctional family’s road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope.

It’s so much more than just that though.  There’s a lot to unpack such as lessons about family, self-confidence, Furbies, Artificial Intelligence, social commentary on our dependence on our cell phones, and so much more.  The family-friendly flick was written and directed by both Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe.

THINGS I LIKED:

• This hilarious movie is so inventive and fun.  The comedic beats fly fast and furiously.  Every frame is entertaining and creative.
• Abbi Jacobson voices Katie, the protagonist teen/film student and she does a fantastic job.
• For some reason, people wondered if Danny McBride would do a good job as a dad.  The answer: yes, yes he does!
• Maya Rudolph voices the mom, Linda.  Her character is super relatable and sweet. As a mom, I laughed at all of the things she does that I do.
• The rest of the voice talent is absolutely stellar and includes Academy Award-winning Olivia Colman, Eric Andre, married power couple Chrissy Teigen & John Legend, Conan O’Brien, and SNL stars Fred Armisen, Jay Pharoah, Beck Bennet, and Sasheer Zamata.
• Sony Pictures Animation has clearly learned from the many mistakes made in The Emoji Movie.  The influence of The Lego Movie  and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse can be seen in the style of this film.
• The writers and directors also created Gravity Falls: The Complete Series [Blu-ray], a super funny animated TV show.
• People have been losing their minds that MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) [Full Length Edition] was used in the trailer.
• This movie would have been so much fun to watch in a movie theater because the audience’s laughter would be contagious and energetic.
• All of the characters are super realistic, distinctive, and entertaining. The character design is really great.
• The background designs and set pieces are detailed, rich, and hilarious.  The onscreen effects add another layer of richness and humor that is adorable and awesome.  I love the look of a 2D cartoon animation added on top of a 3D animation, much like what we saw in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse  They look like the kind of effects Katie would add if she had made the movie.
• Tons of funny references to and social commentary on pop culture.
• The pacing flies at a brisk pace, except for in a few moments when old home movies are viewed to provide the sentimental foundation between the father and daughter.
• Keep watching during the end credits to see pictures of the film’s creators with their families.  Nice touch.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

• I can understand why writer/director Michael Rianda would want to be in the movie, but his voice simply wasn’t the right fit for the son, Aaron Mitchell.  I suppose Michael was trying to dip into voice acting like director Brad Bird did with The Incredibles.  Why didn’t they get a child actor or someone who actually sounded like a little boy to voice the son?  His voice was way too old sounding and it never had a comedic payoff.
• The resolution of the story is pretty predictable, even though there are a couple of false endings.  Act 3 just keeps going and going.
• As soon as I saw the Furbies, I wondered what kind of product placement and merchandising deal the studio made with that company.  Thankfully, none of the other pop culture items in the film seemed like blatant merchandising.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:    

• This film is refreshingly wholesome and family-friendly!  Yay!
• Family weirdness is celebrated.  The entire film is family-centric and has a solid message about celebrating the unique differences and strengths in one another like in the movie The Incredibles
• It’s revealed quickly in the last scene that Katie is a lesbian.

THEMES:

• Family and relationships
• Connection
• Unity
• The value of creativity
• Change
• Determination
• Thinking outside the box
• Jealousy
• Competition

Movie Review Mom GRADE:  A

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