Peter Rabbit

Picture
Directed by: Will Gluck
Written by: Rob Lieber and Will Gluck - Based on the characters and tales of "Peter Rabbit" by Beatrtix Potter
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Sam Neill, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Voices by: James Carden, Colin Moody, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Daisy Ridley, Ewan Leslie, Sia, David Wenham
Animation/Adventure/Comedy - 93 min          Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 9 Feb 2018
Picture
After the screening, I took my five year-old son to the library to look at the Beatrix Potter books.  Potter started the Peter Rabbit universe in 1902 and it shows.  Most kids at the turn of the 20th century were far more attuned to the realities of life on the farm than today’s sheltered suburban youth.  Even I was surprised when the beagle pups went into the wood shed and ate all of Jemima Puddle-Duck’s eggs.  In the 2018 Peter Rabbit update, there is a death by heart attack, dynamite explosions, and a hyper-awareness of one’s character flaws, but certainly no animal-on-animal natural savagery.  1902 was children’s stories based on real life on the farm.  2018 is hardcore physical slapstick and the self-destructive spiral of revenge.  

Peter Rabbit has always been mischievous purloining vegetables from Mr. McGregor’s garden, but the consequences of his larcenous methods are heightened exponentially now.  Old Mr. McGregor (Sam Neill, The Commuter) finally captures Peter (James Corden, Trolls), maniacally grins as he describes the rabbit pie he is going to make with him, and suddenly keels over from cardiac arrest.  The animals' victory lap and subsequent conquering of the garden and manor house are put to an abrupt stop when McGregor’s great-nephew, Thomas McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), arrives to flip the house onto the market so he can jet back to London.
Picture
Director and co-writer Will Gluck’s version of Peter Rabbit continues the familiar duel between a frustrated and persnickety gardener and an over-active teenage lagomorph.  Gluck raises the stakes in this story by making the prize not vegetables, but the love and attention of a woman, Bea (Rose Byrne, Spy).  Bea is the hippie next door neighbor who left the city to focus on painting in the countryside.  Her originals are abstract monstrosities, but her depictions of the local mammals and fowl are enlarged copies of Beatrix Potter’s original paintings.  Bea believes the animals were here first and deserve to roam the land free of walls and gates.  McGregor is more than happy to agree when face-to-face with her, but continues his battle against Peter behind her back.
Picture
Gluck’s animals love to sing, dance, and make merry.  A late ‘90s to somewhat recent alternative soundtrack accompanies their escapades; I believe Vampire Weekend make a couple appearances.  Other than Peter, most of Potter’s animal creations are supporting characters led by Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (Sia) and cursory appearances by Mr. Jeremy Fisher, Pigling Bland, and Johnny Town-Mouse.  Peter’s triplet siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail (Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, and Daisy Ridley) get major screen time as Flopsy and Mopsy argue over who is the eldest while Cotton-Tail is off doing her own thing as a warrior princess not be messed with sort of rabbit.
Picture
The script by Gluck and Rob Lieber wakes up upon itself every now and again to psychoanalyze motivations and speculate why these farm animals and humans do what they do.  Peter is fully aware rushing into danger without a plan is his character flaw while Benjamin Bunny’s flaw is blindingly following Peter with no questions.  The hardware store guys selling rabbit traps are convinced Bea anthropomorphizes animals in an unhealthy lifestyle.  To its immense credit, Thomas McGregor is not a one-dimensional buffoon.  He recognizes the countryside is good for him, he’s relaxing, perhaps evolving, but Peter will have none of it - his replacement mother figure is at stake.
Picture
Yes, Peter Rabbit is for kids, but there are some sneaky psychological hangups peeking out from the fringes.  Filmed in Beatrix Potter’s Lake District area of England, Sydney, Australia, and the actual Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, Gluck wants an authentic setting alongside what he hopes are authentic looking rabbits.  The ultimate goal in movies where live actors interact closely with computer-animated creations is to get the audience to forget it’s animated.  Most of the animals look quite realistic, maybe not so much Pigling Bland when he screams alongside McGregor, but it mostly works.  But it’s a kid’s movie, so the ins-and-outs don’t matter too much.  My kid says he likes this more than Boss Baby, and if you have any idea how many hours that movie has saturated my TV, this is a huge development.
Comment Box is loading comments...