Pixar Comes for Our Hearts Again in 'Turning Red'
#168: "Turning Red," "F1: Drive to Survive," "Love Story," "21 Bridges"
Edition 168:
Hey movie lovers!
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In this week’s newsletter: Pixar proves once again that it doesn’t miss. But where does it fit into the Streaming Wars? Plus a rare reality show recommendation, a hard-to-find classic and an ode to an actor gone too soon. In this week’s “Trailer Watch,” I’m starting to actually get angry with how many new good TV shows are coming out.
Turning Red
There’s very little drama in the review of any Pixar movie, which will almost always occupy the range between good and very very good. There’s never been a major production studio with as consistent a track record as the San Francisco-based animators, who have produced a commercially successful and inarguably high quality movie every year like clockwork…give or take a Cars 3.
So, yeah, Turning Red is really good. Still, that level of quality shouldn’t be taken for granted considering the company’s considerable talents are less frequently deployed to tell the coming-of-age story of a young woman, and especially one of Chinese heritage.
If movies for kids are to be considered as continuing education, and I’d argue they should, then this movie portrays a pretty lovely picture of teenage friendship and familial love. In the case of the latter, especially within the cultural context described above, that love is often expressed through unrealistic expectations set by our protagonist’s mother. That provides the primary conflict for the plot, with the other being good ol’ teenage angst, both of which are soon accelerated by her getting her first period (thus the movie’s title).
It’s not exactly the most subtle metaphor to express a young girl’s newfound adolescence as a giant red monster (in fact it’s the entire premise of the show “Big Mouth”), but in classic Pixar form the ambition here is far more broad than just the biological transition to womanhood.
Outside one period scene — which Pixar deserves credit for including, but is presented much more as a if-you-know-you-know sort of thing — the big red panda our protagonist transforms into (which is triggered by any powerful emotion, rather than a time of the month) is actually a stand-in for a teenager’s authentic self, warts and all. Should she be proud of what makes her unique, or try to fit in? A classic question in young adult fare.
It’s sort of a perfect microcosm of Pixar’s last five years, during which the focus has been on telling the stories of underrepresented communities in Coco (Mexican), Soul (African-American) and Luca (LGBTQ). The company has come to the shocking revelation that the base themes of love and belonging are relatable and can translate across cultural boundaries (who knew!!). If Pixar wasn’t so darn good at disarming viewers with its razor sharp storytelling and abundance of sentimentality, a cynical person might even criticize them for painting with too broad a brush.
However, the representation here is not only respectful (and authentic to Chinese writer/director Domee Shi), it’s also normalized within the multicultural world of early 2000s Toronto.
Cultural identity is central to the story, but Chinese race is not presented as an other — and I applaud the movie for not stooping for the low-hanging fruit of having the whole school hate the panda for its uniqueness. They actually love the panda, and now that I think about it everybody more or less loves everybody here, which makes it almost a miracle that the movie is able to maintain a dramatic tension with such a lack of obvious conflict.
Luckily, I’ve never had a problem with Pixar telling life-affirming stories. I’m on record as being a huge fan. Toy Story 4 was my No. 4 movie of 2019, and Soul was my No. 6 of 2020.
Both of those movies made me tear up, a Pixar calling card, and though this one didn’t it still lays on its emotional manipulation thick. I suspect the emotional punch would’ve hit much harder had my own teenage experiences been a little more aligned with the characters here — I admit to not being Chinese, not being a girl, and not having an insatiable devotion to a boy band growing up.
The movie’s ability to connect with me despite those things is a testament to the skill of Pixar’s creators and the wide wide bear hug of the Disney empire. (Don’t google the Pixar-Disney office warfare going on right now if you want to fully buy into that partnership).
This movie can only be seen on Disney+, which is one source of the aforementioned conflict, but if you’re a subscriber then I think you’d be hard pressed to find anything else on the platform as good as this — other than other Pixar titles. So watch it this week and let me know what you think!
Something New
Formula 1: Drive to Survive S4 (Netflix): I’m a late adopter to this documentary series, which has been so successful it transformed the entire sport of F1 and changed the way other sports looked at media access for their leagues (golf and tennis have already announced similar series).
You don’t need to watch any of the previous seasons, you don’t need to have ever watched Formula 1, to be sucked in immediately to this world of European glamour, colorful figures, incredible egos, controversial politics, and big BIG money. The storytelling is simply awesome, balancing human interest stories with one of the tightest championship races in F1 history. They say sports is the greatest reality show, and this sport fully leaned into the idea by making a reality show. Highly recommend.
Something Old
Love Story (1970): I’ve been trying for almost two years to find a way to watch this movie, which is inaccessible on any streaming platforms or VOD libraries despite the fact that back when it was released it was a critical darling (7 Oscar noms), a cultural force (Ali McGraw’s star got launched into the stratosphere) and a box office smash hit ($106 million domestic box office IN 1970 dollars..that’s insane).
In today’s lens it’s crazy to think that a quiet, weepy rom-com could be such a sensation, but today it would be (and kinda is very much) like “This Is Us,” which was a sensation in its own way. Its intention is absolutely to make you cry, and it’s no spoiler to say that the doomed romance plotline has been recreated dozens and dozens of times in the years since.
I finally found the movie on a plane flight, of all places, and was reminded about the role of rom-coms as wish fulfillment. Yes, it’s a sad movie, but the appeal of it is actually the fairytale life that our lead lovers create for themselves. It’s essential to remember the appeal of this genre as an extension of those animated Disney fairytales we watched as little kids, where we get to see on screen the magical lives we imagine for ourselves. And in that way, it definitely succeeds.
Something to Stream
21 Bridges (Netflix): Knowing what we know now about Chadwick Boseman, seeing one of his final performances as a homicide detective in this action-heavy neo-noir is even more incredible. This movie knows exactly what it is and what’s it’s trying to be, which is cool rather than smart. Boseman tries to solve a robbery case by, seriously, sealing off all 21 bridges into Manhattan, then stumbles upon a corruption conspiracy that goes *dramatic music* … all the way to the top.
As far as crime movies, think Den of Thieves before you reach for something like Dog Day Afternoon. But that’s not a bad thing in this case, because the movie breezes along at 99 minutes with action and scene-chewing supporting performances by no less than J.K. Simmons, Taylor Kitsch (Riggins!), Sienna Miller and Beale Street’s Stephan James. The main takeaway here is mannn, we did not appreciate Chadwick enough in his time. Rest in peace.
Trailer Watch: WeCrashed
I wrote a couple weeks ago about the overwhelming amount of splashy TV shows coming out. They’re all basically movies, except in order to consume them you have to invest 8-10 hours instead of the feature-length two. It’s impossible to keep up with, and the pace of releases isn’t slowing down any time soon.
Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway are both Oscar-winning actors, starring in the splashy, ripped-from-the-headlines story of WeWork founder Adam Neumann. THIS SHOULD BE A MOVIE. And from this trailer, it looks like it would be a good one.