Both movies come from children’s books from well-known authors. Both are made by directors known for the grown-up pleasures of their work. And both movies have turned out to be immensely polarizing as they edge into the awards picture.
“Where the Wild Things Are” had a solid opening weekend and drew some of the most rapturous reviews of the year from top-tier critics, including the New York Times and the two new hosts of the credibility-enhanced “At the Movies.” But it’s also found quite a few viewers and critics who didn’t respond to the pacing and didn’t see the point in director Spike Jonze turning Maurice Sendak’s classic story into an expensive meditation on loss and sadness.
“The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” on the other hand, saw its premiere week begin with a news story in which a couple of crew members lambasted director Wes Anderson in surprisingly strong terms. When that controversy calmed down, the movie left critics unanimous on one thing – Anderson made the movie for an audience of one: himself – but strongly divided on whether that was good or bad.
The latest installment of the Odds’ verdicts covers these two films. One, I thought, was mostly lackluster, the other mostly wonderful. I suspect that neither is likely to be an Oscar heavyweight, but with a little momentum both could figure in the race.
“Where the Wild Things Are”
Verdict: I went into the theater wanting to love it. I did love much of it. If it transported me less than I’d hoped – if parts bogged down, if I could have done with fewer dirt clods and less of the Wild Things’ endless, and endlessly similar, arguments – the sadness and melancholy at the heart of the movie gave it a lovely glow. The character of Carol (masterfully voiced by James Gandolfini and enacted by Vincent Crowley in a suit from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, with a face animated by special effects technicians) is an indelible creation: funny and touching and, in the end, heart-wrenching.
Years back, one of my biggest problems with Ron Howard’s noisy version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was that he tried to turn it into “Why the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and that why just cluttered the movie with silly psychoanalysis. In a way, Jonze takes a similar tack and gives us “Why the Wild Things Are,” but he manages to turn that why (loss, abandonment, fear) into the moving, beating heart of the picture.
Oscar chances: At the moment I’d say it’s a best-pic longshot that could be a player in art direction and effects categories; if it continues a strong run at the boxoffice, the higher profile and prestige reviews could boost those chances. With most of the actors obscured by costumes, though, it may face the kind of resistance from the actors’ branch that animated films often come up against. It ends with a lovely song that’ll be hurt by its placement over the final credits; the songs that are heard during the film itself tend to be snippets too short to register with the music branch.
