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Brendan Fraser tries to get the monkey off his back in
Monkeybone.
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Actor John Turturro is nowhere to be found among the miniature sets, life-size puppets and computer images that make up director Henry Selick's comic fantasy, Monkeybone. You don't hear his true voice either. But it's Turturro's rascally sass and Looney Tunes spirit that breathes life into the film's leading funnyman, a cartoon monkey named Monkeybone. He's also the farcical spark of the film. Because without its smart-aleck monkey, Selick's Monkeybone is a comedy desperately searching for a gag.
Selick's previous films, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996), portray a childlike sense of wonder that bridges the worlds of fairy tales and experimental films. A long-time animator, Selick's knack for the surreal invites comparisons to Guy Maddin, David Lynch, Jean Cocteau and Luis Buñuel. Monkeybone is Selick's first foray into adult storytelling, and it's clear some of his magical innocence is left behind. Fantastic images aside, Monkeybone is somewhat of a disappointment.
George-of-the-Jungle-man Brendan Fraser is love-struck cartoonist Stu Miley. After suffering a blow to the head, Stu is transported to a bizarre purgatory known as Downtown. In this bizarre netherworld, the nightmares of the living serve as entertainment.
"You're Stu Miley, right?" a beastly bartender asks him. "I've seen all your dreams. You're a big celebrity down here."
But Stu is desperate to escape Downtown and reunite with his pretty girlfriend, Julie (Bridget Fonda). While he's trapped in Downtown, his cartoon alter-ego, Monkeybone (voice of John Turturro), escapes to Earth. Before long, Monkeybone's raging libido generates plenty of chaos. To make things right, Stu must outsmart Death (Whoopi Goldberg), escape Downtown and stop the obnoxious Monkeybone.
Fraser is an amiable clown. He's nerdy enough to pass as a slackerish comic artist. Besides, physical comedy suits his hulking frame and dimwitted stare. Fonda does her best Veronica Lake impersonation as the obligatory girlfriend. She's sultry and wholesome all at the same time. As Death, Goldberg's performance is little more than a thankless cameo, much like her TV appearances on Hollywood Squares.
It's Saturday Night Live comic Chris Kattan who has the most fun as a reanimated gymnast who must save the day despite a broken neck. I love the way he runs around with his head flopping back and forth.
The true star of Monkeybone is Downtown itself. A nightmarish version of an amusement park midway, Downtown is a place where Joe the Camel bums a cigarette and a curvy kitty-cat in a Louise Brooks wig works as a barmaid. The magic is how Selick makes the place look so wondrous.
Monkeybone reminds us that there is a difference between special effects and cinematic artistry. While watching the film you can't help but think about the carpenters and the wardrobe designer. Monkeybone celebrates cinematography and production design. It's a shame more time wasn't spent on the storytelling.
The modish playpen of Hypnos (Giancarlo Esposito), the half-man/half-goat god of sleep who rules over Downtown, is the setting for a wild pajama party. Stu's black-and-white PJs match perfectly with Hypnos' abstract bachelor pad. Everything in Monkeybone -- sets, puppets and costumes -- are visually synchronized. You imagine Selick chose the color of the walls, just as you believe he approved the design of Stu's pajamas.
The surreal landscapes that comprise Downtown and the land of Death make Monkeybone a film worth noting. It's evident Selick walks in the expressionist footsteps of Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau. Monkeybone's tale of passion, death and lust is a humorous riff on the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, albeit directed by Tex Avery. The sets of Monkeybone are as significant to its storytelling as the expressionistic sets of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Monkeybone is an old-fashioned movie, because its make-believe worlds are meant to be unreal. It's a common bond that unites Selick's film with the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz or The Thief of Bagdad's Arabian castle. Its models look like models, and its sets look like sets. Basically, Monkeybone is cinema as live theater.
I like the fact that Selick worked as a Disney animator before making his filmmaking debut with The Nightmare Before Christmas. I especially like the fact that he also worked on experimental animation films. It's true that Selick works in obscurity. Still, his cultish fans know that the arrival of a new Selick film offers the opportunity for a magical movie experience.
Like other cult fantasies including The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension and Big Trouble in Little China, Monkeybone is probably destined for midnight screenings at the few remaining repertory theaters. Still, its immediate cult status is part of its appeal. I appreciate the fact that Monkeybone is willing to be different. Monkeybone is bizarre and that's a good thing.
The film turns to slapstick once the troublesome Monkeybone ditches Stu in Downtown and heads to the world of the living. Selick remains true to Monkeybone's comic book origins with plenty of moronic humor. But Monkeybone's best comedy comes from its willingness to satirize itself and its moviemade merchandising.
The slapstick is helped by the fact that Monkeybone is a chimp with a gorilla-sized libido. It's amazing how just about every gag is a penis joke. Monkeybone's dreams involve bikini-clad beauties. Basically, he wants Stu's curvy girlfriend. At its most juvenile level, Monkeybone is a drama of sibling rivals battling for the same girl.
A toy Monkeybone that farts orange smoke is the climactic key to Monkeybone's plot. The goofball scenario pales in comparison to the film's inventive production.
Still, Monkeybone confirms Selick's ability to create fantastic worlds of make-believe. The catch is that Selick's cinematic magic is ultimately determined by the quality of the film's storytelling. Monkeybone falls victim to its uninspired slapstick. I've always considered Selick one of American film's more unique talents. That's something I still believe, despite the failures of Monkeybone.
CityBeat grade: C.
