Koko, a Talking Gorilla

1978 documentary

Rating: 14/20 (Dylan watched some of this, laughed uproariously, and refused to give it a rating.)

Plot: Koko! She can speak in sign language with a blonde chick! Koko! She's the crazy funky star of this monkey flick! Koko! She's got a boyfriend named Mikey and a red sweater! Koko! She's also got a yellow one but likes the red one better! Koko! She belongs to the zoo and they want her to come back! Koko! But those researchers think that is just wack! Koko! Two hundred fifty pounds of furry funky fun! Koko! If it wasn't for the fur, she could almost be human! Koko! Oooh, Koko. Oooh, Koko. Koko, oooh oooh oooh. Koko, a talking gorilla, you're driving us wild! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Koko!

Watching Koko with her trainer Betty reminded me of my classroom. Only it looks like Koko is a lot easier to teach. She also knows, unlike a few of my students, the proper place to urinate. I like that this presents all sides fairly and shows the interactions between Koko and her trainer (and Mike, who seems to be the only gorilla she ever has any interaction with) candidly. There's enough to be impressed by, of course, but at the same time, you get to see the bad times, too--some arguments between the two, times when Koko just ain't being a good girl. Entertaining stuff. Koko!