Film It's...okay.
I remember watching this movie when I was little. Not when it was out, mind you (I was born the same year it was released), but I nevertheless did watch it as a little girl. So, after watching The Looney Tunes Show, I was quite interested in Lola's characterization in this movie, plus I could go for some nostalgia, so I watched it now, around 12 years later.
...my opinion? It's fine. Not So Cool It's Awesome, not So Bad, It's Horrible...no movie I've ever watched has been so in-between as this one. The Roger Rabbit Effect offered well animation and was one part of the movie that wouldn't disappoint anyone who hoped to see it. The characters are looney and basically every Looney Tunes character created make cameos at least once, and the most important ones each get their fair share of screentime.
However, Lola Bunny was one bad thing. She was a boring Flat Character who barely had chemistry with Bugs, yet they smooch lips at the end because "he saved her"...and, if they had hoped for the movie to be better recieved, they shouldn't have left room for any cliché piffle. Not to mention that Bill Murray's appearance was an Ass Pull, and Stan was completely useless. Seriously, why didn't they just leave that guy out?
The only good part about the movie was the basketball game. The rest is junk.
So...meh. It's no film that would ever be a Cult Classic; merely a film to those who watched it when still on toddler legs. But as I've said countless times now; I'm not saying it's bad. It's just not awesome. It's a fat, juicy case of So Okay, It's Average.
Film Could been a better Guilty Pleasure
Before I go on, I'd just like to say that had this been a pure comedy, as was apparently intended, it would have been extremely funny and at worst a Guilty Pleasure I could have applied the MST 3 K Mantra to and totally enjoyed myself.
Unfortunately, this movie shoots itself in the foot in the very first serious scene, and every other serious scene. In fact, everytime this movie is vaguely serious, it fails at being funny, which is pretty much the only main draw of the film.
The premise is ludicrous at best: A bunch of aliens plan to enslave the Looney Tunes characters, they somehow manage to negotiate a chance for freedom with a basketball game, and Michael Jordan gets brought in as a trump card for the toons.
Regardless, had the movie NEVER taken itself seriously, I could've rolled with that, had a few laughs, and considered it a Guilty Pleasure Cult Classic.
Unfortunately, every serious scene just killed the mood. I would have cut out the scene at the beginning with young Michael and his father, most of the scenes where the basketball players find out how much they suck (except for the ones that tried to be comedic and expanded on those), and I would've reworked the Ten Minute Retirement for more comedic effect, just for starters.
Otherwise, the movie wasn't that bad, and when it was trying to be funny, it more or less succeeded.
In other minor gripes, I was basically indifferent to Lola (the Canon Immigrant) as a character, but the hamfisted way the creators tried to convince the audience she was always part of the Looney Tunes cast was painful, and while the movie did have good music, I would have had "I Believe I Can Fly" cut entirely from the movie, as it was a serious mood killer.
In summation, it's worth a few laughs, but it's hard to watch more than once, even as a Guilty Pleasure due to how the serious parts of the movie (which belonged in a more serious film to start with) cripple the intended impact of the rest.
Film I was six when this movie came out.
I know, intellectually, that this movie is terrible. Horrific. A soulless money grab. A two-hour commercial with less frames per second than any classic Looney Tune.
But if you were there. If you were THERE. If you were under ten years old when this movie came out, you knew. This was it. This was The Thing. The *Jam*. Everyone in your class saw it. Everyone in your class said "Nice Butt!" at some point. Lola dolls were distributed. Nerdluck jewelry was worn. "I Believe I Can Fly" was sung.
It's a bad movie, but it's bad in a good way. It's bad in the kind of way that you're pretty much blind to if you understand that a) The Looney Tunes are cool, b) Michael Jordan is cool, and c) nothing else.
With that in mind, it's not going to hold up. Today's six-year-olds don't know Michael Jordan. They'll know the Looney Tunes more from their TV series than their classic shorts.
This is a movie that'll live fondly in my memory, but nowhere else.
Film Underrated Film
Ok, so it’s true that when I first watched it I was a kid and as a result the NostalgiaFilter can influence my opinion on it. That said re-examining now, I honestly like it quite a bit.
I find BillMurray to be hilarious in the film like when he comments “Larry’s not white he’s clear”. I think the interactions between Bugs and Daffy are funny. And I like Jordan’s performance.
I honestly have no problem with the CanonImmigrant Lola Bunny serving as a LoveInterest for Bugs.
I think that it’s got a pretty good Aesop about standing up for yourself. All in all, I think it’s pretty good. I’m not claiming it’s without its flaws like the LooneyTunes putting in less effort to act like they did in the iconic cartoons but that’s not enough to ruin the movie for me so I like it.