492. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Running Time: 104 mins

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an American film about a ‘toon’-hating LA detective, brought into investigate a local affair, becomes the last hope for a famous cartoon rabbit avoiding arrest for murder.

The first thing, and the main thing, to say about this film is that it’s just unbelievably annoying. It is certainly impressive, with this cartoon/live action concept being quite revolutionary in 1988, and it does have some sort of fun atmosphere, however it is constantly annoying and occasionally painful to watch.

I loved the animation in this film. Taking the classic wacky nature of Looney Tunes’ animation, it gives a fast and crazy feel that makes this film both unique and reminiscent of those classic cartoons, and that is indeed fun to watch throughout.

Also, the story is well-written and enjoyable. In terms of its comedy, the standard isn’t the highest ever, however the parody of a 1950s LA murder story does make it good fun to watch, as well as giving some degree of excitement towards the climax, as the film gets cheesier, yet oddly more dramatic and tense.

However, what really brings this film down is how irritating it is to watch. Almost every aspect of it, from the fun animation, the strange characters and the storyline, is constantly frustrating, and ruins a great deal of the enjoyment of what could be a simple story.

What you would think is good about this film is that it’s not a straight-out kids’ movie, but there is a whole heap of jokes that can be entertaining for adults. However, in an attempt to encompass both kids and adults, the atmosphere always feels confused and distracting to watch.

Also, the film falls down in how it so closely emulates the Looney Tunes cartoons of the past. What made those cartoons so fun was that they were in a world of their own, and even though all of the characters were irritating, it was acceptable to see such looniness and not be so annoyed.

However, bringing those ‘toons’ into the real world just doesn’t work. There’s never a point where you’re properly convinced by the combination of a cartoon and human world, and because of that, you see how truly irritating these characters can be, which can annoy you further.

Overall, I’ll give this a 6.6, because although it is unique, groundbreaking, and occasionally fun, it is definitely one of the most irritating films of all time.