Babe

1995 uplifting children's movie

Rating: 16/20 (Dylan: 15/20, Emma: 18/20, Abbey: 20/20)

Plot: After Robert "Bobbi" "Babe" Morgenson, a transvestite prostitute living in Ogden, Utah, watches her pimp (a less-than-gallant character played by Donny Osmond) massacred with a meat slicer, he/she decides to leave his/her past behind him/her and try to achieve his/her childhood aspiration of becoming a butcher. He/She rinses off the meat slicer and heads for Salt Lake City where, confused about how life as a butcher actually works, he/she hires thugs to procure livestock from Salt Lake City farms and chops them to pieces. Hilarity ensues.

It should be noted that the guy who wrote Babe's screenplay (George Miller) first made a name for himself writing the three Mad Max movies. I'm not sure that adds up. This is quality children's fare. The best one-word description I can think of for this movie would be cozy. The colors, the music, the sparse narration, the gentleness of the main human character (wonderfully played by James Cromwell), the almost fairy-tale "Once Upon a Time" in Anywhere (heck, it could have been Ogden, Utah) setting, the use of chapter titles, and the quiet way the film delivers messages about love and loss and dreams all contribute to deliver something timeless and rich. It's as comfortable as a favorite shoe; it's something you're used to seeing while simultaneously being unique and original. It's still hard to believe that a movie with talking animals manages to stay charming for an hour and a half, especially since talking animals movies (Homeward Bound, Cats and Dogs, Racing Stripes) generally belong on my least-favorite-movies-ever lists. The special effects are good, and although I don't like all of the characters (some, in fact, are completely useless), most of the animals add color to the farm setting and enrich the story. Babe crosses the line into Sillyland (I hate those singing mice) a few times, but it is, after all, a movie for kids. And the climax is handled so delicately and masterfully, it makes up for all the times this reminds me of those other talking animal movies. Its sins, therefore, can be partially forgiven.

My nephew Caden picked this movie but didn't end up watching much of it.