A Thanksgiving Classic: Fantastic Mr. Fox

A Thanksgiving Classic: Fantastic Mr. Fox

When you think of Thanksgiving, you don't necessarily think about Thanksgiving movies. 
Halloween and Christmas have their movies that are popular, but not Thanksgiving.
A few may come to mind, like Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or movies that have Thanksgiving in them like the Blind Side. This week Benjy and I (Sean) took the time to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is a movie I watch every year around Thanksgiving. This will be Benjy’s first time ever seeing the cult classic. We will each give a review and I will also explain my thoughts on how Fantastic Mr. Fox is a Thanksgiving Classic. 

For a little background, Fantastic Mr. Fox was originally a book written by Ronald Dahl and was adapted into a movie by Wes Anderson in a stop motion style. It follows the main character Mr. Fox who gives up his life of theft after his wife informs him she is pregnant, and after doing so, he lives a normal life for some time. Eventually after two years (or 12 fox years), he becomes antsy and comes across a midlife crisis. He decides to do one last big job and steal from the biggest farmers in the land Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Then soon after he gets caught and is chased by the three farmers. They tear up his home and all the animals get involved, but even during a time of crisis, Mr. Fox puts on Thanksgiving dinner by stealing all the food from the farmers behind their back. But, soon after his nephew is captured, so the animals fight against the farmers to save them, in the end Mr. Fox and his family are safe and all turns out well. 

Sean’s Review: 9.2/10
From the witty dialogue and amazing cinematography, Fantastic Mr. Fox delivers on several levels. From a great cast who have done Wes Anderson films before and who understand what he is looking for, this movie is a fun watch if you're not looking that deep into it, with a runtime of just barely 90 minutes. It has running jokes, like how instead of swear words they say “Cuss.” The characters may be the best aspect of the entire movie. From Mr. Fox, Mrs. Fox, his kids, Kylie the gardener, to many others, who all in this 90 minute movie are important. Yet, it is packed with deeper meaning. With the idea of family and promises, and trying to live our lives to the fullest; the complexity of relationships in peace and trouble and finding the small joys of life; coming to terms with who we are as people and being different. That is why I love it, it has a Wes Anderson charm that makes it different from other movies. That is why it is a must watch each and every year. 

Benjy’s Review: Overall rating: 6.8/10
My favorite part of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is the cast. The cast features star actors such as George Clooney, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Adrian Brody and Bill Murray. I really liked the character development and the progress of the plot throughout the movie. I felt like this movie was very unique compared to most that I have reviewed throughout my series. While many people like this movie (Sean and others), it was not exactly my favorite. The movie gave me a weird vibe and some of the unique shots did not stand out to me and the overall plot was just not my vibe. While I do think this movie was good and entertaining to many people, I am just not a very big fan of Wes Anderson. 

Final note – here’s why it is a Thanksgiving classic: 
Exactly at the halfway point just as we thought Mr. Fox and his family were in trouble. He came up with a brilliant plan to steal all of the farmers' goods since they were camping out at his house, now turned into a hole. He decided to hold a dinner party, one with a turkey and friends and family. A true Thanksgiving dinner. But, Mr. Fox decided to talk about how they beat the farmers only to be interrupted by a flood through the ground sent by the farmers. His speech was missing the meaning of this holiday, gratitude and recognizing the people in your lives. Later on after amending his relationships with friends and family right before the animals go and try and save Mr. Fox’s nephew, Mr. Fox gives another speech, saying thanks and talking about each animal, and giving the spirit back to the holiday. Mr. Fox also discusses that each person is different and that is okay, the differences are what makes each of us special. 
This movie truly captures the spirit of an underrepresented holiday in the industry.