Review of Inside Out (2015) by Kevin P — 29 Jun 2017

Damn you, Pixar! You have reduced me to a weepy slobbering mess yet again. I haven't cried this much at a movie since Jessie told her backstory in Toy Story 2. But it makes sense that a movie about emotions would be emotional.

Fundamentally, this movie is about a child's first experiences with nostalgia. So it's a coming of age movie... but it's also a buddy movie about the adventures of two of the child's emotions: Joy and Sadness (both required for nostalgia, see?).

It's brilliantly done, all the way around. A majority of the movie takes place inside 11-year old Riley's brain, and this is where the film is truly genius... how it physically represents abstract concepts is supremely clever (the journey through "abstract thought" was my personal favorite).

The animation is gorgeous, and the voice actors could not have been better cast - each perfectly embodies their assigned emotion, though I am partial to Lewis Black's hilarious "Anger". And then there is Richard Kind's wonderful imaginary friend Bing Bong, who steals the show.

My only criticism is that the emotions depicted are oversimplified, as only 5 out of hundreds of emotions are represented (including Disgust... how the hell did that one make the cut?). But I understand why they pared it down, that story would have been way too crowded.

But what I cannot forgive are the antiquated gender stereotypes. The few times we see into Riley's parents' minds, they are straight out of The Honeymooners. Aren't we past perpetuating this ancient idea that males are vapid lummoxes who only care about sports, getting laid, and avoiding their wives' nagging; and that females are constantly trying to wrangle their stupid husbands to do the right thing? It's clearly done for comic relief, but I just found it offensive, and a really disappointing inclusion for such a forward-thinking movie.

Regardless, it's a moving and thoughtful story that is well worth watching. The concepts explored in this film are pretty abstract, but the message is clear: not only is it okay to feel sad sometimes, it's important, and bittersweet memories are the ones we value the most.

I don't know how much this film resonates with kids, but it sure did with me. This film is a joy to watch, despite its inherent sadness. It's beautiful in every way.