BUDDY 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
2 :-( :-( for confusing animals with children
Cast: Rene Russo, Robbie Coltrane , Alan Cumming, Irma P. Hall Director: Caroline Thompson Screenplay: Caroline Thompson, based on the book ANIMALS ARE MY HOBBY by Gertrude Davies Lintz
I'll begin by telling you why I don't think 'Buddy' works well as a family film. Remember Bambi, and how Bambi's mother gets shot towards the end of the movie. Sad as this may be, the audience is fortunately spared the gruesome details of what actually follows a kill - the division of the spoils into venison, and a wall mount for her head. Similarly, remember that kind spider in 'Charlotte's Web', who spun her web in order to save Wilbur the pig's life. Fortunately, children are spared the unpleasant details of how she will likely be her off-springs first meal after they hatch.
So how does the above relate to 'Buddy'? A baby gorilla raised in the wealthy, eccentric home of Gertrude Lintz (Renee Russo). Firstly, I don't think the audience were expecting to see this once charming, sweet innocent gorilla grow into a moody, violent animal who frightens everyone at a fair, knocks his human mother about, rips his cage doors open, and after a thunderstorm destroys several rooms of the mansion in a confused, frightened rage. We all know he's out of his habitat, so return him to the jungle, and save us from this 'ape-to-adolescent' theatrical.
Some other comments. Children will be very frightened of gorillas by the end of this movie. By Jo I was PETRIFIED, even after watching 'George of the Jungle', which actually endeared me to the great Apes. This being a true story makes it all the more heart breaking. Dressing animals in clothes and pretending that they are your children, is very unnatural. My advice to Gertrude Lintz is to buy a Ken and Barbie Doll if she wants to play dress up, and to invest her time and fortune on homeless children instead. Sure they may grow up to be anorexic or psychopathic, but at least they won't grow up to be like this baby gorilla.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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