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MOVIE REVIEW: Peter Rabbit

Garth Cremona (RIP)

The Beatrix Potter classic tale comes in a blend of live action and animation.  Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson star as the humans.  Peter is a little rascal, always stealing food from the garden of the local old gardener who killed his father, and when his latest run on the vegetable patch leads to the old man having a heart attack it looks as though it is party central.  Rose Byrne plays the loving artist who lives next door, while Gleeson plays the long-lost relative that inherits the property and becomes Peters new enemy.

As you know I don’t watch trailers or know too much about a movie before I go see it.  I honestly feel there are too many clips and trailers released and that is why there are no shocks or surprises any more in the cinema.  Lets meet down by the docks some time and gather in numbers if you believe in my fight.  But it was practically unavoidable to miss the anger that a few idiots who got free tickets to see the preview screenings as Peter force-fed Gleeson some berries that his is allergic to.  That sort of uproar in a movie just makes me want to see it more.  It’s 20 seconds of an enjoyable family film that these professional complainers think should stop you from having a good time.

The story is basic, and if you’ve read the books you’ll be in for a shock, it’s nothing like the beautiful pieces I read as a child.  But it also benefits from it.  Peter is a brat, an almost too irritating to watch character, who thinks the world is his playground.  The other animals of the countryside and his family all join in when the old fella passes away, destroying his vegetables and house in a big party.  Gleeson arrives after losing his job in Harrod’s planning to sell the cottage and garden to fund his own toy shop.  Byrne plays the neighbour that falls for Gleeson who is an artist and loves the animals of the forest.

Peter and Gleeson butt heads and the slapstick comedy is something that really cheered me up.  It’s been a heavy week of screenings and I needed a good silly comedy to just lose myself in.  While the film is targeted to the children that liked those just about above average Chipmunk movies there are many jokes that the older owners of the children going to see the film will have a great time too.  The berries thing is a brief moment that maybe could have been cut out of the film and it wouldn’t have effected the story one bit, and I’m glad they didn’t cut it out, believe in your vision film makers!

The animation, and the different types of animation, is great and while some may find that it should have been a pure animation, I think that the blend of the real life and the animation adds to the story.  The voice cast, and it kills me to say this as I hate James Corden, is a very cool mix of well-known voices that include Margot Robie and Daisy Ridley.  I love the animals who behave as stereotypical animals, like the deer in the headlights, and the Cockerel who can’t believe that the sun rises everyday.

Peter Rabbit is a great family entertainment film because it doesn’t just talk to the kids, it talks to the entire age group that will go to the cinema.  The slapstick humour that we get is pure joy to those of us who are fans of Laurel and Hardy and Buster Keaton.  The romance between Byrne and Gleeson is nice, and they have a nice chemistry between one another, and it adds to comedy when Gleeson is trying to hide his hatred of the animals.  This is one that you take the kids to and just enjoy, pure escapism, and I’m thankful for that.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Director: Will Gluck
Writers: Rob Lieber (screen story by), Will Gluck (screen story by) 3 more credits
Stars: James Corden, Fayssal Bazzi, Domhnall Gleeson & MORE….See full cast & crew

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Garth Cremona (RIP)
Comic book creator and movie reviewer. You can find out more at www.dublinwriter.com
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