Movie Review – Up

You see that Up is #1 this last weekend at the box office?

Yeah, we might have helped with that.

The Webmaster and I have always LOVED Pixar movies, and we also decided that we were all in need of a little treat. So, right after Ane got out of school on Friday, we ate a light lunch and went to the movie theater for a matinee showing of Up.

It. Was. WONDERFUL.

First off, we went so early in the day on Friday that the theater was quite empty. A handful of families – all with small children – so it was a nice environment to see the movie in, because Tad can get kind of antsy after a while. I did have lollipops in my purse, though, so that helped when he got a little too bouncy.

Second, the story was hilarious. The first ten minutes of the movie has you completely hooked with its sweet and poignant tale of boy meets girl, boy marries girl, they have dreams of raising a family but are unable to, they have dreams of traveling but can’t afford to, and when they finally can afford to take the trip they’ve always dreamed up, both boy and girl are older adults, and girl can’t make the trip because she falls ill and dies. The rest of the story is how the husband goes about fulfilling his late wife’s dream – and, as they once said on Monty Python, with hilarious consequences. I spent so much time laughing during the movie after crying during the first ten minutes, and I never noticed the time passing by. Both Ane and Tad enjoyed the movie, but were so tired leaving the theater that they promptly fell asleep on the way home in the car.

And the squirrel jokes. THE SQUIRREL JOKES. Until my parents adopted Rusty the German Shepherd mutt, I had never really known dogs to be at such odds with squirrels. Rusty has a vendetta against squirrels and goes crazy at the sight of them – he actually caught one once, but that’s another story. Kobi, the dog of my childhood, who I loved dearly, never seemed to have this same issue with squirrels – at least, not that I can remember. Senna, another family dog, didn’t seem to go after them either – but Senna was more interested in human food than anything else in life, it seemed. This was the same dog who ate nine dozen butter pecan cookies in one swoop right off the kitchen counter. My mother was ready to wring her neck for that one.

Anyway, the writers clearly had a grasp on dog behavior, because the squirrel obsession was SO perfectly written that the Webmaster and I have been quoting lines from the movie relating to squirrels all weekend long. And those were some of the funniest lines in the movie.

Older children will definitely love this movie. Ane really liked it – and would like to see it again – and Tad, of course, was somewhat oblivious to it, but behaved decently enough that we know that he caught most of it, even if he can’t tell us exactly what he thought of it.

This is definitely an instant purchase once it comes out on DVD – but if you’re looking for a very safe family film this summer, and have the inclination to go to the movie theater, Up is the film for you.

Oh, and next summer, Pixar releases Toy Story 3. Yeah, you bet I’ll be reading up on that one.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 1:20 am and is filed under Children, Family, Media.
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