Review: Coco

Coco (2017) - Lee Unkrich, Adrien Molina

       Coco is the newest Pixar/Disney about a young boy in Mexico (who yes, basically only speaks English, and yes I know this is an American-made kids movie and yes they do a good job of presenting Mexican culture, I think, I have no idea personally, don't listen to me #i'mwhitepleasedon'tlistentome, but still, listening to everyone speak so little Spanish kinda irritated me) who loves music but is forsaken to play it because of his great-great-grandfather who was not only a musician, but left his family in order to pursue his dreams of music and stardom. Soooo, I don't often see kids movies unless they have something to offer me in the way of nostalgia (I am straight-up irritated that they are making a fourth Toy Story and I'm even  more irritated that I know I'll see it opening weekend in theatres). And this isn't because I think kids movies are bad, or below me, it's just they weren't made for me. I am not the target demographic for this, or really any other kids movies. Got a dark comedy about serial killers or yet another Before Sunrise movie? I am ABSOLUTELY your audience for that, 100%. But kids movies...especially MUSICALS...ugh. Stab with me an Olaf shaped shiv (which is precisely what the short before Coco did). But Coco is a great example of why I love movies. It's not that it necessarily proved me wrong, I didn't go into it thinking I would hate it, but movies like Coco can prove that any movie, as long as it's well-made, cares about its characters, and stands for something, can be enjoyed by absolutely anybody. You go (Glen) Coco!

       The movie stars Miguel, a positively charming if not slightly rambunctious child who, secretly from his parents and grandmother and great-grandmother, is actually a massive music fan and dreams of becoming as famous as his idol, Ernesto de La Cruz, the most amazing musician to ever pick up a guitar. But his family is all like nu-uh to his uh-huh about music, because of his garbage great-great-grandfather who abandoned his great-great-grandmother, and his still living great-grandmother, the adorably old and totally relatable from everyone's childhood decrepit relative, the titular Coco.
       The story takes place on the Mexican holiday, El Dia de Los Muertos, which, according to folklore, is the one day of the year that deceased loved ones can come back from the other side to see and spend time with their family. Determined to follow his dreams, regardless of his family's wishes, Miguel attempts to steal Ernesto de La Cruz's guitar from his mausoleum (all rambunctious children desecrate the graves of their dead idols, right?) to play a the big Dia de Los Muertos festival in town, and in doing so is transported to the land of the dead. He only has a short amount of time to find the ghost of his famous idol, Ernesto, to get back to the land of the living, before he, you know, fucking dies.
       It's a goddamn dark idea for a children's movie, amirite? He basically spends the whole movie with dead peope who all look like skeletons, and within moments of getting there, Miguel literally starts dying by way of his flesh disappearing revealing his own skeleton underneath. TRIPPY SHIT, EH KIDS? Well that's actually okay because the movie has two really great things going for it: One, it is visually fucking gorgeous (spare one thing which I will get to later). It is one of the most (ugh, I don't like that I'm about to use this word) dazzling looking films I've seen since Up. The colors and the designs of the Land of the Dead, a never-ending multitude of beautiful shimmers and twinkling lights  twist and tower into the midnight sky in a way that is slightly macabre but never unsettling. They use as much authentic Mexican culture and art to design the city and its inhabitants. The character design of the skeleton-bodied dead people is playful and exciting, everyone painted colorfully in different sugar skull adornments, their easily detachable limbs used for comedic effect (I mean, I'm pretty sure the kids found it comedic) and never creepy. Seriously, this movie is beautiful. I didn't see it in 3D, but if a Wizard fucking promised me that the picture wouldn't get at least 30% darker I would actually consider it. It's a great looking movie.

       The second thing the movie has going for it is that its dark subject matter (dead people, forgetting about dead people, dead people dying a second death once people stop remembering them, children dying) is treated with a lot of love and consideration. Yes, of course the movie has to gloss over some of the grittier details involved (like do all people, regardless of how good or shitty they are, get accepted into the Land of the Dead? Cuz that would seem fucked up if there was Mexican Skeleton Hitler walking around eating churros) to sell this story to children, but it actually has a really sweet of message of accepting that death is a part of life that is made much easier to handle when you make an important point of remembering the loved ones you lost (it doesn't hurt that almost all the dead people in the movie are very old, so it's less sad that they died, you see?)
       The movie has a few missteps here and there. Sorry, the dog wasn't funny, or cute. I wouldn't care about the funny thing if it had been cute, but it wasn't cute. And there was a third act that doesn't quite go off the rails (because they stick the landing) but still takes two or three unnecessary twists to get there. Why do all kids movies have these twists? Pixar in particular. Are children that unamused by a linear narrative plot? Like, would kids have left Toy Story 3 saying "But I think they should have added a scene where they really almost died, ya know, to suspend the societal belief that everything has to turn out okay for beloved protagonists" if they had left that incinerator scene out? I don't think kids give a shit about twists. And to be honest, adults shouldn't give a shit about twists either. They're often just lazy storytelling. Want twists? Go down a water slide (High-fived myself pretty hard just now). It's not that I hate narrative surprises, but when the movie has to go fifteen minutes out of it's fucking way to add one where there was enough emotional material to get you through to the ending then who gives a shit?
       My only other complaint, and it might be a small one, is those neon flying cat creatures that have appeared on some, but (smartly) not all of the advertisements. They look like this:

It's just in a movie so gorgeous and thoughtfully designed, why did they make these things look like a fucking blacklight poster you bought from a Spencer's Gift Shop in 1999, along with a lighter that doesn't work that says "Beer: Making Ugly Girls Attractive Since 1839" (Ugh, on an unrelated note, I sincerely apologize for the things I spent money on when I was thirteen). Since everything else looks so great, this definitely sticks out as cheesy.
       Coco is a funny, heartfelt movie that I am glad to say I really enjoyed. It's about music, it's about family, and it's just a good flick. Also, it had a lot of music, but it was NOT A MUSICAL. THANK YOU (GLEN) COCO. YOU GO GLEN COCO.

Grade: 3 Desecrated Mausoleums and a very old Mexican Woman