Review of The Peanuts Movie (2015) by Michael M — 21 Aug 2016

In a year full of reboots of childhood classics, this is one of the most faithful. It updates the Peanuts in all the right ways, while remaining true to their essential spirit. It doesn't Smurf them by sending them to New York or having them reach out of the TV into our world or any other way this film could have gone horribly wrong, it is just 90 minutes of old school Peanuts shenanigans. Not a whole lot really happens, it's really just sort of a slice-of-life story. Charlie Brown questions life and tries to get the attention of the new girl, and that's pretty much it. It's simple, but it's nice, and it's incredibly likable. It's got a solid message too, and the ending is genuinely heartwarming. Charlie Brown notes how life constantly craps on him, but he keeps trying. That's been a message The Peanuts have always had, but it's really relished here in all the best ways. It's cute and it's funny. It's faster paced than The Peanuts have been in the past, but I'm actually okay with this, it leads to a lot of really funny moments. It stays nostalgic in all the right ways, while speeding up its pace for today's audience without losing the essence of what made Peanuts great in the first place.

The films only flaw is also something I liked about it, and that's that not much really happens. I feel like 30 minutes has always been the appropriate length for Peanuts, at 90 minutes it feels a bit too long. If they had done this style rebooted as a TV series, I think it could have worked better. As a movie, it feels a bit off. It's still hard for me to criticize it too much there, because really for what it is I don't think I'd change a thing. It's not like it's the greatest film of the year or anything, but it's exactly what a Peanuts movie should be, for better or for worse.