Movie Date: Inside Out
Nobody will be able to resist Pixar’s latest offering
STARRING: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias
WRITERS/DIRECTORS:
Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen
THE SKINNY: Hockey-loving 11-year-old Riley is perfectly happy until her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. Her emotions do their best to help her process the change, but when Joy and Sadness get accidentally sucked into the far reaches of Riley’s mind, the little girl’s feelings go haywire.
RATING: PG
MARS
When people talk about "movie magic", this is what they mean.
In fact, I would say Inside Out goes beyond magic. For me, there was a weirdly psychic connection.
One of the first dreams I ever remember having was ice-skating with a green fairy. I was maybe nine.
As I was watching the latest Pixar flick, there was a scene where the brain fairy Joy, dressed in green, ice-skates with our little protagonist Riley.
This was in Riley's dream.
As the scene unfolded, I was gobsmacked. Here we have a movie about the inner workings of the human mind, and somehow it knew the deepest contents of my own subconscious.
This must mean something.
While you might not relate to this specific moment, I guarantee that you will experience some such connection with the film.
Inside Out is like a modern take on those old Greek myths in which gods personified human traits: Apollo for logic, Aphrodite for love, Dionysus for madness.
While every bit as imaginative and intuitive as those ancient stories, it also benefits from our present-day scientific understanding of the brain.
It is timeless, yet novel.
Families will show up for the colour and kookiness.
But they will soon find themselves awed by wisdom and insight. - Jason Johnson
Rating: 5/5
VENUS
I have not cried this much at a movie since Toy Story 3.
Inside Out is an emotional rollercoaster - from deliriously happy to gut-wrenchingly sad.
Only a heartless golem would sit through this feeling numb. I even caught my brother and my husband tearing up during the screening.
Inside Out may seem like it is for kids, but really, this is one for the adults.
It will make you recall your fondest childhood memories and your deepest, darkest fears.
It is also a great opportunity to probe your date about their past and psychoanalyse their feelings afterwards.
The film takes you on a magical ride through a child's mind, where memories are represented by colourful, shiny orbs like in Puzzle Bobble and are dumped in a cavernous wasteland when forgotten.
While Riley is the heroine, the show is arguably about the chemistry between her two strongest emotions, Joy and Sadness.
As a perpetually happy brain fairy, Poehler's voicework makes Joy look genuine rather than annoying.
Meanwhile, Smith injects Sadness with the right amount of emo attitude.
Inside Out drags a bit in the middle and I would have liked to see the concept of emotional interaction taken further.
But that is just me being greedy.
This is a good movie that is both imaginative and deep. - Lisa Twang
Rating: 4/5
THE CONSENSUS: Young or old, guy or gal, nobody will be able to resist Pixar’s latest offering.
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