'Fantastic Mr. Fox' review

Wes Anderson's whimsical take on Roald Dahl with playful, puzzling results

By Matt Pais

Posted November 12, 2009

Metromix

Newspaper columnist Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) reverts to his old ways as a thief, in turn upsetting three very unhappy farmers and causing trouble for Fox's wife (Meryl Streep), son (Jason Schwartzman) and pretty much all the animals around town. As the problem escalates, characters frequently use the word "cuss" in place of actual profanity, behave like humans but still devour food like animals, and possess voices from stars like Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Willem Dafoe.

The buzz: Sounds like a good opportunity for once-great director Wes Anderson to change up his style, which was officially flat in "The Darjeeling Limited." Can this filmmaker, who co-wrote the "Fox" script with "Life Aquatic" writing partner Noah Baumbach, use stop-motion animation to pull off a Roald Dahl adaptation—which isn't an easy task in the first place?

The verdict: The humor comes and goes in "Fantastic Mr. Fox," but a punchy spirit remains that makes this a zippy, reasonably enjoyable ride. The characters are vivid and the animation is delightful. So why didn't I like the film more? Maybe because it always feels like a strange, herky-jerky experiment, with the story's espionage elements fitting Anderson's preferred subject matter but the style not suiting the director as well as, say, "Where the Wild Things Are" fit into Spike Jonze's hands. You'll spend less time laughing than sitting on the fence between entertained and confused about why this "Fox" never finds its stride.

Did you know? Asked what he does for a living, Mr. Fox replies, "I used to steal birds, but now I'm a newspaperman." I will speak for all journalists and say that's how most of us got our start too.