Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox is the movie you didn’t know you needed. It’s witty, funny, unique, heartwarming, random and thrilling. It’s also animated. I enjoyed it so much that when I saw the trailer for his more recent movie “Isle of Dogs” I probably watched it 300 times with an erection every damn time.
The cast is also dynamite, featuring George Clooney, Meryl Streep (do I need to keep going?), Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, William Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman and more. The story follows George Clooney AKA Mr. Fox who is a retired thief. However, he finds himself unable to resist a particular sting and reaches his hand into the wrong cookie jar. Suddenly, not only his family, but the entire community finds their lives in danger.
Truly, it’s hard to find the words to describe the feeling(s) Fantastic Mr. Fox gave me. I loved it so much that I made my Call of Duty username “Fox.” Trust me it was hard to turn down the classic—PsychoSeth.
Fantastic Mr. Fox has a way of tickling your funny bone in subtle, surprising ways. Sure, it’s not like watching Wedding Crashers or Superbad, but it’s filled with subtle, genius quips that keep you entertained throughout. For example, William Dafoe’s absurd character is a menacing rat that has an oddly spiritual death. In his final moments, it’s noted that he experienced a sort of redemption to which George Clooney replies:
“Redemption? Sure. But in the end, he’s just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a Chinese restaurant.”
Wes Anderson fan or not, if you’re looking for a fun movie night in, you won’t regret this flick.
Seth Borkowski is a New York-based writer who enjoys writing about dating, self-improvement, sports and the challenges of growing older as a millennial. You can read more of his work at sethborkowski.com.