Wick's Review

Summary - Perfect 5.0

Who Framed Roger Rabbit harked back to a bygone era, even as it kicked-off today’s advanced one. It resuscitated hand-drawn cartoons, yet was the first to mix animation with live action, presaging the half-human, half-fake movies common ever since. Ironic, no. Oh yeah, Roger Rabbit is also drop-dead funny.

The opening is LOL to the max, a kids cartoon clearly inspired by The Cat in the Hat and delivered as a mashup of several Looney Toons characters, with a touch of Marilyn Monroe thrown in for good measure.

After that Hollywood-incarnate opening, the movie turns into Chinatown goes Tinseltown, with several stops in Toontown. Hollywood is never better than when it goes Hollywood. Steven Spielberg knows from Hollywood, making him the ideal Executive Producer for this benchmark movie. It is deep, sexy and sharp.

• Deep: Mixing toons with Tinseltown types provides brilliant director Robert Zemeckis an allegorically rich environment from which to comment on prejudice and other societal subjects.
• Sexy: Jessica Rabbit is the sexiest moviestar ever. “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.”
• Sharp: “Dabbling in water colors, Eddie?”

Bob Hoskins was not the first choice to play alcoholic private eye Eddie Valiant, but he wore it well. Resolutely deadpan no matter the situation, juxtaposed with goofy toons, he is a veritable homo erectus.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit sustains endless screenings, always funny, always brilliant, always deep.

Acting - Perfect 5.0

Humans

• Bob Hoskins peaked as a private dick with a drinking problem.
• Christopher Lloyd also peaked as Judge Doom, IMO the best role of Lloyd’s illustrious career. Lloyd delivered Doom as dread incarnate, the essential role in any action thriller.
• Stubby Kaye ended his 50-year career in Roger Rabbit. He retired right after, in 1988.
• Joanna Cassidy is 50/50 sexy/weary as Eddie’s on/off waitress girlfriend.
• Alan Tilvern, also in his final film role, played R. K. Maroon, the owner of “Maroon Cartoons”.
• Joel Silver has a cameo appearance as Raoul J. Raoul, frustrated director.

Toons

• Charles Fleischer makes the movie as Roger Rabbit, by turns manic and morose, always looney.
• Fleischer also voiced Benny the Cab, plus Psycho and Greasy of Doom’s Weasel Gang.
• Kathleen Turner voiced Jessica Rabbit, the sexiest moviestar ever, with her super sexy voice.
  • Amy Irving deserves major props for cooing Why Don’t You Do Right, as seen nearby.
• Lou Hirsch voiced Baby Herman, middle-aged smoker baby & co-star in Maroon Cartoons.
• David Lander voiced Smart Ass, leader of weasels.
• Classics
  • Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety & Sylvester the Cat: Mel Blanc
  • Yosemite Sam and Foghorn Leghorn: Joe Alaskey
  • Mickey Mouse: Wayne Allwine
  • Donald Duck: Clarence Nash & Tony Anselmo
  • Goofy: Tony Pope
  • Betty Boop: Mae Questel
  • Minnie Mouse: Russi Taylor
  • Woody Woodpecker – Cherry Davis
  • Pinocchio – Peter Westy
  • Dumbo – Frank Welker
  • Droopy – Richard Williams.

Film - Perfect 5.0

Hollywood filmmaking old and new reached an apotheosis with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a huge hit and enduring critical favorite. Plus it spoofed Hollywood itself, making it a Hollywood trifecta.

Edge - Risqué 2.1

Jessica Rabbit raises the sex meter up to titillating all by her hot self, poking the edge meter to risqué.

Reality - Supernatural 3.5

So much can be written about the fabulous fakery of Spielberg & Zemeckis’s Roger Rabbit, just not now.

1 Comment

• BrianSez Jun 4, 2017 11:49PM

  Regarding Wick’s Review
  I’m going to add this to my “to see” list!

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