“Come on, Eddie! Where’s your sense of humor?” —Roger Rabbit
Today’s quick review: Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In Hollywood in 1947, Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a drunk private eye with a grudge against cartoons, takes a job proving to cartoon star Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer) that his wife is cheating on him. But when Eddie’s work helps frame Roger for murder, he must hide the excitable rabbit from Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd), a sinister law enforcement officer, long enough to solve the case.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a partially animated comedy with an inventive premise and a noir plot. Set in a world where cartoons are real, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a love letter to the Golden Age of American animation. The movie plays with cartoon conventions, showing just what would happen if the wackiness and slapstick of cartoons spilled over into the real world.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit uses this setup to good effect, dishing out both classic cartoon humor and clever meta-jokes about the cartoon industry. The result is a comedy that has more going on than the typical cartoon while keeping the medium’s sense of eccentricity and fun. Although the movie mostly focuses on its own original charactes, it slips in a few cameos from Warner Bros. and Disney that help give it some clout.
On a practical level, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an impressive feat of special effects. The interactions between the cartoon characters and the real world aren’t perfect, but they are believable enough that it is easy to forget how much effort must have been involved. As for the acting, Bob Hoskins does a fine job as a kid-friendly version of the down-on-his-luck private detective, while Christopher Lloyd plays a suitably over-the-top Judge Doom.
The movie’s unusual style does have some drawbacks. Like many cartoons, Who Framed Roger Rabbit walks a fine line between funny and disturbing. Because of the nature of the film, it crosses this line on occasion, taking a joke too far or accidentally hitting a sour note. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is particularly susceptible to this kind of strangeness due to its off-brand characters and loose treatment of the normal boundaries for cartoons.
Watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit if you are in the mood for an unusual take on cartoon comedy. The zaniness won’t sit well with everyone, but its clever writing and cultural impact make it worth checking out. Skip it if you dislike classic cartoons, for obvious reasons. For a sports movie done in a similar style, check out Space Jam. For a noir parody without the cartoon elements, check out The Cheap Detective.
7.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good humor and a creative premise, but your score may be higher depending on your taste in cartoons and cinematic innovation.