*** (out of ****)
Featuring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Brad Garrett, and Willem Dafoe
Directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich & written by Stanton, Bob Petersen, and David Reynolds
2003 G
What a fun movie. “Finding Nemo” is magnificent to look at, like a trip to an electronic aquarium, in which every detail, from the biggest whale to the smallest floating speck, has been lavishly attended to and terrifically conceived. We get sharks, submarines, scuba divers, shrimp, sea turtles, jellyfish, clownfish, and coral reefs in every color imaginable, dancing to the current. We go from the blackest depths of the ocean to the pipes of the Sydney sewer. You have to see “Finding Nemo” on the big screen to appreciate how deep its ocean is, to enjoy the spooky way distant objects take shape, to understand how frightening it is just to be something so small floating in something so big.
The story is a simple one about a little clownfish (voice of Albert Brooks) out to rescue his only son (Alexander Gould), who’s been bagged by a scuba diver. This is just the right story, allowing Brooks to go from setting to setting, meeting new characters, showing us amazing sights, and swimming along to the next one. On his quest he is joined by an equally tiny fish (Ellen DeGeneres), only she’s a complete flake who seems to have a version of that disease from “Memento.” She gets most of the movie’s best lines, as they ride the backs of sea turtles along the East Atlantic Current or dodge a shark that’s just smelled blood. Meanwhile, Gould finds himself in an aquarium in a Sydney’s dentist’s office, where he begins a wary allegiance with other fish who hope to escape to the open sea. Apparently there’s no such thing as OSHA in New Zealand, and the dentist’s perpetually open window leads to some good antics.
In the tradition of countless children’s stories, the animals in “Finding Nemo” are really just transplanted humans. They go to school, practice monogamy, and don’t seem to eat each other. If I were in a grumpy mood I could say something about what a shame it is that people don’t accept the animal kingdom on its own terms; instead we have to translate them into us, as if an animal is only worth saving if we pretend it’s not an animal. (I’m sorry, I was an English major, I have to look for hidden meanings behind stuff.) This practice of valuing animals only when they are personified shows no signs of slowing. One of the previews before “Nemo” is about an Eskimo boy who gets turned into a bear, and discovers that all the animals wisecrack just like 21st century comedians. Not only can this be a creepy message to teach children, especially if they apply it in a larger cultural sense, but it misses half the fun of loving animals, which is that they can be so very much alien. The loyalty of a dog can be a superhuman and the blameless selfishness of a cat can be touchingly honest. Mostly I’m just glad that “Nemo” cuts down on all the hipper-than-thou pop culture references that are crammed into movies like “Shrek.” Except for the surfer-talking turtles, none of the fish in “Nemo” knows anything that could only be learned from watching television.
“Finding Nemo” is the work of Pixar, the group responsible for the “Toy Story” movies, and is packed with all sorts of great details. Every corner of the screen is alive and swaying, and every fish seems to have its own particular movements. The movie’s handling of its themes can be maudlin, syrupy, and obvious in places, but it is a family movie after all, and a cute one at that.
Finished June 15th, 2003
Copyright © 2003 Friday & Saturday Night
Back to archive.