Fantastic Mr. Fox

The story is as classic as the fox is sly. The wit is as quick as the well is dry. The film is as boring as…actually it’s not boring at all.

Fantastic Mr. Fox, quirky Wes Anderson’s most recent film, is based on Roald Dahl’s classic book of the same name. Anderson unexpectedly departs from his modus operandi (a unique style that characterizes Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Darjeeling Limited (2007)) in several ways: Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animation film whose target audience is broadened beyond his typical adult crowd. Plus, he is not the original author of the story. What Anderson fans will recognize in Fox from his other films is the fanciful humor, his captivating style, and his ingenious subtleties.

Although fantastic at times, Mr. Fox fails when it comes to his job of professional thievery. While raiding a farm, he isn’t quick enough to escape and gets caught. While caged, his wife finds him and tells him she’s pregnant, pleading that he find a better profession especially for their family. After all, there’s a child to consider now. Two years after the incident, Mr. Fox, now a newspaper reporter, and his wife plan to move from their cozy home in a hole into the base of a tree. Characteristically ignoring warnings from his lawyer, Badger (Bill Murray), Mr. Fox moves in to his new-found place, fatefully situated adjacent to three farms. Mr. Fox, mindfully or not, reverts back to his old klepto ways and conspires with a friend to steal various vegetables and poultry from each of the three farms. After successfully accomplishing this feat, the ill-tempered farmers retaliate, intending to kill Mr. Fox and family. The rest of the story is a proverbial cat-and-mouse chase involving the brutal farmers (cat) using their tactics to overpower the quick-footed, quick-witted fox (mouse). Through alliances and strategy, Mr. Fox evades the farmer forces. The only question that remains: will the brute force of the farmers or the evasive strategy of Mr. Fox prevail? Fantastic Mr. Fox is rated PG for subtle slang language and smoking scenes. Children and adults alike will appreciate the humor in the story as interpreted by Anderson. as the all-star cast—George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson (a staple in Anderson’s films)—brings Roald Dahl’s fanciful characters to life.

Take your self and sense of humor, and you will surely be pleased that you took time to watch one of the funniest PG movies ever.