Blog From The Bench

It’s pretty unfair. As a matter of fact, it’s downright despicable when you think about it. Pixar has been producing certified creative magic for nearly twenty years, and yet the recent dogpile to downplay the equally impressive Cars is flabbergasting. I, for one, just don’t see it. What flaws did the other critics see here that I did not? What level of cinematic skill were they hoping for that the movie failed to live up to? Granted, I still think The Incredibles is the best thing the studio has ever done, an unexpected turn into superhero mythology that avoided the standard anthropomorphic objects (toys, vehicle) or entities (fish, bugs) to reinvent the language of 3D animation. Yet apparently with all the memories of Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc. floating around in their brain, my fellow film reviewers just couldn’t cotton to automobiles with attitude.

Granted, this is the most relaxed movie Pixar has ever made, a real attempt at capturing the slower, subtler style of full length feature animation from the past. Sure, the movie starts off like a rocket, and ends with the same sensational racing car frenzy. And in between are nice riffs on NASCAR, celebrity, marketing and selfishness. But once we get to Radiator Springs (in a convoluted manner that may be the film’s only flaw), the character development perfectly meshes with the narrative drive to put the brakes to the pace. Frankly, I can’t think of a single middle act moment I’d sacrifice for the sake of time. The tractor tipping was well down and highly imaginative, the romanticized look at a Route 66 from a fantasy bygone era is brilliantly evocative. All the bonding situations work, and the sequence were Paul Newman’s Hudson shows the speed demon Lighting McQueen how to properly negotiate a sharp turn is just iconic.

Even the elements I thought wouldn’t work did. Larry the Cable Guy looks like roadkill incarnate in his Blue Collar guise, but as Mater the tow truck, his goofy redneck charms are infectious. So are the semi-stereotypical sections with the Hispanic lowrider Ramone, and Italian tire merchants Luigi and Guido, and the confused old Model T curio shop owner Lizzie. Perhaps the reason reviewers find fault in this film is that they aren’t noticing the abundance of detail here, those tiny moments that make Pixar product shine. I especially liked the VW ‘bugs’, the road cone motel, and the rock formations that look like classic cars (and classic car sculptures). This is obviously a movie for those in love with the myth of the American highway, the notion that the open road offers infinite possibilities. It’s freedom and adventure, all just a glorious gas and gulp away. Many of the vistas offered by director John Lassiter and the rest of his team really illustrate this ideal.

As usual, Cars leaves one wanting more. I, for one, would love to know what makes George Carlin’s organic gas so “special”, or why bad guy Chick Hicks (a classic voice work turn by Michael Keaton) is so angry and envious. With almost all the focus on our red racer Lightning McQueen, some of the subplots do seem shortchanged, but they aren’t under-developed, just asking to be expanded and enjoyed. After an initial selection of below-average blockbusters that promised excitement, only to inspire ennui, Cars becomes the first film to live up to – and in my case at least, supercede - the standard Hollywood hype. While it may not seem like it now, this will wind up another cartoon classic from a company that, apparently, can produce nothing but timeless treats.

8 out of 10

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