Inside out: the Review, by Philip Airson, August 2015
“If you are open to this film being an emotional roller coaster, you will love it. If you go in a negative mindset thinking it will be stupid, then you need to re-asses your stinky attitude, and then go.”
So there I was, 6’2’’, big man, my full beard – usually so firm, a glorious symbol of strength, a Statue of Liberty for my chin – soaked. Was it raining? No, I was crying. Salty tears eroded the walls of my adult life. Was I attending a funeral, a life journey, the birth of my first child? No. I had come to watch a children’s film.
Home Alone 2 and Bambi are the only two films that have previously had any emotional effect on me. But Pixar’s newest, Inside Out, has broken my stone face.
Inside Out has broken my stone face.
Home Alone 2 and Bambi are the only two films that have previously had any emotional effect on me. But Pixar’s newest, Inside Out, has broken my stone face.
Throughout the whole film I was constantly reflecting on my childhood memories, knowing full-well it could all get too much at any moment, like emotional Jenga being played in an earthquake.
The cast were superb. Amy Pohler was a joyful-sounding Joy, reminiscent of happy childish glee, and Phyllis from the American The Office was perfect as Sadness.
This film taught me, a grown ass man, life-lessons about how emotions work, and how sadness isn’t bad.
I’m annoyed at this fact. I went in thinking I wasn’t going to get sucked into the Disney-pulling-on-the-heart-strings thing, but I failed epically.
I was prepared to be annoyed at the portrayal of all men being dumb and slow. However, they kind of hit the nail on the head with that – especially that teenage boy, when he sees a girl, and his mind freaks out.
The action was great and the humour was well placed.
Watch the trailer below
And as it did make me overly self-reflect, I started picturing who the characters in my head would be. I composed a list:
Phil’s Mind Cast:
JOY: The Muppets
ANGER: the Hulk/Kim Jong-Un
SADNESS: Radiohead
FEAR: A giant spider with human arms
DISGUST: the bad guard from Green Mile
I loved it. It made me look stupid in front of infants and adults alike.
