I am glad I did. I'm not necessarily a fan of cartoons in general, but I've gradually grown more and more appreciative of the entire genre. This movie was incredibly enjoyable...and...dare I say it...BETTER THAN SPACE JAM.
For me to say such a thing about a movie I adore...is straight up blasphemy.
In case you're in the minority of people who've never seen this cinematic classic (I was), this is the story of a cartoon character who's framed for the murder of Marvin Acme, the leader of the well-known cartoon manufacturer of failed products (just watch Wile E. Coyote for examples...ANY EPISODE). Roger Rabbit is the tune in question and must enlist the help of noted cartoon-hating detective Eddie Valiant. Other major characters include Roger Rabbit's too-hott-for-him wife Jessica, the creepy Judge Doom, and Benny the Cab.
To be honest, I hated Roger at the beginning of the movie. He had way too much energy...and I started watching the movie at a point where I was too annoyed to be able to handle Roger. But he really did grow on me. He also started to remind me of how much I used to love the Looney Tunes from days past. I loved this world that this movie was portraying: a world where tunes are also actors and living in this world with humans.
It was a bit darker, though, for a cartoon movie. The tunes themselves seemed like slaves, forced to cater and entertain the humans in the movie. Pretty dark for a cartoon movie. But it worked somehow. If you really think about it, the Looney Tunes have always been dark and full of adult humor that you don't really catch until you grow up. I mean, they ARE incredibly violent. Would you survive if a piano fell on your head?
A couple of things I loved about this movie....I loved the way the cartoons maintained their cartoon personalities even within this universe. They are who they are and they never change from that. That's something I noticed about Space Jam as well. For example, Sylvester the cat is always and forever going to be concerned with whether or not he can catch Tweety Bird. There's nothing that will ever trump that never-ending task in his brain. Really, they are all driven by a single purpose, and that's what makes them entertaining. It was also incredibly entertaining to see a mix of Disney and Warner Bros characters, which is not something that EVER happens (according to Abby...I'm not smart enough to know that information). For example, Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse have a scene where they are skydiving together. One day, I wish we could have a movie with both of them...some sort of epic rivalry/showdown between the two. Alas, it'll probably never happen.
One of the other greatest parts of the film was the villain played by the great Christopher Lloyd. I hadn't seen this guy in ages...I haven't seen a movie with him in it since Back to the Future or Angels in the Outfield. But he played Doctor Doom. For those who haven't seen it, I won't spoil it. But there was a scene with him that would STILL give me nightmares. I can't even imagine how terrified I would have been if I had seen this movie as a child.
Benny the Cab was also fantastic, if not adorable. My favorite scene of the movie, randomly, was the moment he got into the people car and started driving it with his tires being cute little hands. Oh my gosh, it was so cute I could die.
But the greatest part of this movie BY FAR was the overall 40s/film noir feel to it. It was incredible. You don't see movies like that anymore and I am absolutely in love with that detective noir feel. To be honest, Hollywood needs to read this and make more movies like that. I would spend money to see more detective noir movies. MAKE IT HAPPEN HOLLYWOOD AND STOP DOING REMAKES.
Anyway, this movie was an instant classic for me. I'll probably purchase it and I actually liked it more than Space Jam. Which is incredible, because Space Jam has basketball in it.
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