Toys

Toys

For quite a number of years, Robin Williams was the reigning “manchild” in Hollywood movies, as many of his performances involved him exuberantly acting like a little kid, up to and including his performance as Peter Pan. Unfortunately, since everyone was forced to play it straight opposite him, it made his roles stick out like a sore thumb to the point of annoyance. Not so with this 1992 film from director Barry Levinson, where Williams does his usual childish schtick but now is ably supported by a cast (and movie) that comes off as just as eccentric as he is. Williams plays Leslie Zevo, another big kid in a man’s body whose father (Donald O’Connor) is an equally eccentric toymaker whom, upon his death, transfers control of his company onto his U.S. military General brother, feeling that his son is “not ready” to take the reins (though, in hindsight, the viewer realizes that the old man knew exactly what he was doing). Thus begins the madness, with the rest of the cast proving to be just as nutty as its star: Michael Gambon as the General starts off bored with the tedium of running a toy company, until he has an epiphany: Start producing military-inspired war toys and video games, before taking it to the next level, which is recruiting the kids who are the most adept at playing the games and shooting tanks and enemy soldiers, and put them in a virtual-reality environment where their video game skills are harnessed for REAL combat, using remote control toy drones to kill any enemy deemed necessary. This philosophy would prove prophetic, with the eventual real-life rise of Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and other ultra-violent video games, and the movie’s message is that it’s best to just let kids be kids and not have them play anything that might involve shooting and killing and thus warp their minds (sadly too late for this current generation). However, Gambon is a lot of fun to watch as he carries out his mad scheme, getting the film’s biggest laughs as he plays a combat arcade game and merrily shoots the humanitarian aid trucks that results in a deduction of points for doing so (“Damn U.N. has no business being there anyway!” “Woops, I almost hit a tank there!”) and gamely tries to score a government defense contract based off his ideas. Also in the mix are Joan Cusack as Williams’ almost quixotic sister who enjoys wearing doll clothes and eating mayonnaise sandwiches; LL Cool J as Gambon’s son (!) who specializes in military camouflage techniques to the point of near obsession; and Jack Warden as the old military Grandpa who speaks entirely in a mumble, plus smaller parts for Jamie Foxx (in his debut role), Debi Mazar, Art (Captain Mauser) Metrano, and Yeardley (Lisa Simpson) Smith. The one exception to the nuttiness afoot is Robin Wright as a new employee at the factory who becomes Williams’ love interest, as her job is basically to react to everybody else, which isn’t a problem since she comes off as particularly more beautiful and appealing than she usually does (topped off with a honey-sweet Southern accent to boot). The problem is that her and Williams share a rather awkward chemistry at best, with a scene between them in the factory cafeteria that comes off as complete gobbledy-gook (mostly on Williams’ part). It can also be said that the filmmakers come off as taking a rather simplistic outsider’s look at the military mentality, apparently thinking that all soldiers wait around solely so that they can take part in their “great war”, when really they (like all of us) are usually a bit more complicated than that. That being said, a few words need to be said about the film’s incredible art direction, set decoration, and costume design, which were rightfully nominated for Oscars: They have literally created their own world here, drawing the viewer in to marvel at the whimsical spirit that the movie succeeds in creating, all the while enhanced by a melodic score that includes a surreal Tori Amos track called “The Happy Worker”, finally ending up with a climax where the two opposing sides turn the once happy toy factory into a warzone in itself. In the end, a fantastic kid’s movie, and just imaginative and creative enough to be enjoyed by their parents as well…

8/10

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