"Inside Out 2" Review: Another Great Probe Into Our Minds!
Inside Out will always be a special film for me because it was the first film I took my daughter to see when she was almost three years old. The Oscar winning film was a great movie that dealt with emotions and how we use them. Nearly ten years later, Riley (Kensington Tallman) is thirteen, my daughter is almost twelve and this movie is so in touch with that thing called puberty it’s scary!
We catch back up with Riley as she is still playing hockey and dominating the rink. She is going to high school next year and her bond with her best friends, Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green), couldn’t be stronger! Or could it? As the trio goes to camp, Riley learns that they will be going to different schools in the fall which will break up the band. This information, coupled with the onset of puberty, creates new emotions that come to the forefront of her mind.
Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Anger (Lewis Black) are still at the helm of the controls of Riley’s mind, but new emotions are introduced that will challenge for the throne: Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos) (think “play it cool” mentality), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), and, the leader of them all, Anxiety (Maya Hawke). Anxiety proves to be akin to fear in some ways but her role is to predict what could happen to Riley and either stop it, avoid it, react to it or move her towards it if the idea seems good to her.
The old and new emotions have a conflict that sends the old crew on an adventure. Along the way we meet some new characters and concepts like sarcasm being a literal chasm that makes anything nice sound bad and a stream of consciousness being a stream with whatever Riley is thinking in it. Perhaps the funniest new characters are Bloofy (Ron Funches) and Pouchy (James Austin Johnson), a duo similar to a Barney-like character that Riley secretly still likes watching.
Writers Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein, and Kelsey Mann do a wonderful job of setting this new world up for the viewer inside Riley’s head as they interact with what’s going on outside of her body. It’s easy to follow and it’s the journey that makes this movie another winner! There is something so universal about the pressures of trying to fit in, choosing between making new friends or being loyal to old ones, and not really knowing what’s going on inside. Pixar usually has a way of speaking to adults while entertaining kids and that is on full display here.
Inside Out 2 is a winner because it’s thought provoking in addressing how the coming of age passage can be difficult, awkward and beautiful all at once! It doesn’t sugar coat mental health but delivers a spoonful of sugar with the medicine the doctor ordered to address it with laughs and a few tear jerking moments. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another decade for the next stage of Riley’s life, but this is certainly one to take the family to see in theaters!
Rating: A-
"Inside Out" Review: Laugh. Cry. Repeat!
Laugh. Cry. Repeat. That pretty much sums up what Pixar’s latest and perhaps greatest film is guaranteed to make you do. “Inside Out” takes the complex theme of how we deal with our emotions and presents it in a simply beautiful and entertaining 94 minutes.
Riley Anderson is eleven years old. Her parents have just moved the family from Minnesota to San Francisco. She’s left behind her friends, champion hockey team and everything she knows. The voices in her head- Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Anger (Lewis Black), and Fear (Bill Hader)- are doing their best to help her deal with it from their headquarters in a tower high above all of her memories.
After a couple of days of being in the new house, Riley’s emotions really begin to tug on her, which means chaos for headquarters. The event sends Joy and Sadness on a journey to try and make Riley happy again. Visiting places like long term memory, Goofball Island, Friendship Island and more, the duo meet old friends along the way.
What makes this film great is the screenwriting! It perfectly blends what’s happening outside of Riley with the events that are taking place inside her mind. The cause and effect of her parents questioning her and Anger being at the controls make for plenty of laughs. Yet, Pixar delves into the intricacies of how a good memory can become bittersweet. Writer/director team Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen nail the natural growth that takes place when we encounter new life experiences which help to shape and mold our character!
Pixar has always been great at making films that appeal to children but that parents can appreciate as well. I saw the film with a mixed bag of children and adults and my only concern is that the parents seemed to identify more with the film than kids did. Perhaps it’s because many of them hadn’t reached Riley’s cinematic age themselves, or haven’t dealt with loss outside of a toy, etc. I in no way doubt a child’s ability to comprehend the film, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some kids don’t latch on quite as well as others.
“Inside Out” tells a universal story that puts humanity’s feelings on display in a way that hasn’t been seen before. It’s a great ride from beginning to end, and one of the best kids’ flicks to come out in a while proving that Pixar is still king of animation. It may be debated whether it’s one of Pixar’s greatest, but you should definitely see it this weekend and judge for yourself!
Rating: A