Score: ***** out of ***** (A+)
Directed by Pete Docter
Starring (voices of) Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, et. al.
Running time: 94 minutes
Rated PG
Long Story Short: After an excruciatingly long two-year hiatus, Pixar is back with Inside Out - quite possibly their best film yet. Starring the anthropomorphized emotions in a little girl's head - and voiced by an all-star cast of comedians - this film delves into the human psyche more deeply than ever, both literally and creatively. It's everything you expect from Pixar, and more. A must-see for all.
Riley is an ordinary, 11 year-old girl with loving parents in Minnesota. Guiding her through her days of carefree fun are her five emotions: Joy (Poehler), Sadness (Smith), Fear (Hader), Disgust (Kaling), and Anger (Black). They cause her to respond to life's events based on which emotion has been "activated," then file the memories away in long-term storage; some events are important enough - like a game-winning hockey goal - to become core memories. One day, however, Riley's Joy-dominated life is turned upside down when her family moves to San Francisco. Not only does Riley struggle to find Joy anywhere in her new surroundings, but Sadness has become a problem.
When a profound event threatens to pull Riley further down, Joy grapples with Sadness, pulling them both into the distant, hard-to-access land of long-term memories. As Riley faces life with just Fear, Disgust and Anger to guide her, Joy and Sadness race through the wonders of her mind to get back to her daily life.
The voice cast of Inside Out is outstanding, featuring some of my favorite contemporary comedians. Amy Poehler is perfect as Joy, the lead character/emotion. Having become a fan of hers as the star of Parks & Recreation, I can't think of a more appropriate actor given the boundless optimism and enthusiasm she produced on Parks. Joy is a cheerful (duh), strong, tireless lead in helping her "host" Riley, with hints of the exasperated humor of Poehler's Parks character. Phyllis Smith, supporting actress on The Office (one of my favorite comedies ever), is equally perfect as Sadness. Her weary, down-trodden voice frames the character, but has stirring moments - within the confines of the emotion - of strength and resilience. Fear, Disgust and Anger are also voiced by comedians I adore - Bill Hader (SNL), Mindy Kaling (The Office, Mindy Project), and Lewis Black (The Daily Show), respectively. They are primarily used for comic relief (very effectively), but also play important roles in the story. Richard Kind also has a significant part, but one that I'll leave secret.
Pixar films are known for their creativity, storytelling, emotional effects, and visual splendor - and Inside Out carries on this legacy, perhaps better than any before it. Most obvious here is creativity - while Pixar has had many unique touches, the idea of a little girl's emotions being the main characters of a film takes the cake. I'd like to read much more about it, but it's not surprising to me to know that this world went through painstaking revision to get to its final form, and it's a masterpiece. The film incorporates the "rules" of this world effortlessly, painlessly into a simple yet incredibly compelling story. As the characters navigate their way through Riley's head, they encounter endless ingenious devices that serve both the story and psychology (such as the "train of thought"). The visual construction of Riley's mind is also both well thought out and fun. Scenes taking place in the "real world" (perhaps a quarter of the film) seem almost bland in comparison, though they are as expertly fleshed-out as you'd expect from a Pixar film.
The creativity is brilliant here, but it's the perfect harmony with poignant themes and storytelling that make Inside Out such an incredible achievement. The themes, of course, deal with the interaction of our emotions, especially within a developing child (whose subject is one of Pixar's many strengths). The degree of difficulty here must have been extraordinary; so easy to oversimplify, yet almost impossible to keep coherent when explored with any meaningful depth. Somehow, Inside Out manages to achieve both elegant simplicity as well as universal significance that encourages reflection on the audience's own lives. Beneath the bright colors and cheerful music, the film provides a more realistic look at our lives than 99.9% of live action films. Draw in the technical creativity and tie it all together in a strong, well-paced, dramatic story? Wow.
***
Pixar has made better films than any other studio in Hollywood since 1995, period. Still, it had been noticeably quiet and merely "strong" since 2010's Toy Story 3. Well, they are back. I think I usually rein in my enthusiasm for films that I really like, at least in the short term, until there is time to fully digest the work. There is no doubt here, though: Inside Out is an instant classic, quite likely Pixar's best film to date. I simply can't find anything to criticize: everything, everything is well done in this film. It's admirable for a film to be solid, but Inside Out goes above and way beyond to amaze with its imagination, to impress with its ingenuity, to entertain with its humor, and ultimately to touch our hearts and souls with humanity. I'm not sure what else there is to say; this film is essential viewing for all.
Rolling rankings of the summer's movies (click to go to my reviews):
- Inside Out (A+)
- Tomorrowland (A)
- Jurassic World (A-)
- Spy (A-)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (A-)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (A-)
"Inside Out (2015 film) poster" by Source. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Inside_Out_(2015_film)_poster.jpg#/media/File:Inside_Out_(2015_film)_poster.jpg
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