The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Voices of: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Beck Bennett, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Charlyne Yi, Conan O'Brien, Jay Pharaoh
Directed by: Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: During an A.I. robot rebellion that captures the entire human population, only the Mitchell family remains uncaptured and become humanity's unlikely last chance for freedom.

Review:

Tim: The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a really, really weird movie. And I mean that in the best of ways. This animated film firmly embraces the weirdness of people and of families. It has clear flaws, but it does more right than wrong. I enjoyed this zany adventure story about a group of misfits who eventually embrace who they are, as they fight to save all of humanity. This film is great for kids and entertaining enough for any viewer.

The concept of a robot uprising is nothing new, but it's always a fascinating subject. Something about the idea of humans creating something potentially more powerful than ourselves and then having that creation turn on us is frightening and intriguing, even in the guise of a children's film. This movie tells the story filled with humor- the movie never takes itself seriously, even while delivering some surprisingly powerful messages about acceptance. The filmmakers continually go out of their way to embrace the weird, to put it all on display. This could have been annoying, but they always stop right before that threshold and continue with the story. The movie can definitely be too much at times- it feels like the creators needed a tad more focus, to build a few more breaths into the story. That being said, the movie moves quickly and throws a lot at the audience. There's definitely no time to be bored.

The Mitchell family is interesting- I can't claim to really like any of them, but I appreciated the attempts to tackle real family dynamics. The heart of the story is the fragile relationship between the father and the daughter. They once had a powerfully strong dynamic, but as kids grow up and hit the later teenage years, it's often hard for parents to make the necessary adjustments. I'm not there yet in my life, but I see those days looming on the horizon. The film does a nice job of rooting itself in this relationship. It makes you think about your own relationships, from your childhood and if you're a parent, that relationship, too. That's one of the film's greatest strengths- relatable relationships. The movie does offer interesting commentary on technology and some great scathing hints at perfect-seeming Instagram families. As a whole, the movie tackles timely issues, although most kids won't pick up on this- they'll just love the crazy nonstop action.

The voice cast is solid, if a bit unremarkable. Abbi Jacobson does a nice job bringing Katie to life. Danny McBride was a nice choice for Rick, who gives a more measured performance than I would have expected. Maya Rudolph adds in a nice supporting performance, too. I actually thought the casting of director Michael Rianda as Aaron was an awful choice. He doesn't have a good voice and it just seemed wrong for the character. I admit this adds to the weirdness of the whole film significantly, so I get why they did it. I just wasn't a fan of his work here. Olivia Colman was outstanding as the voice of PAL. I hope robots don't rise up against humanity, but if they do, her voice as our new overlord is a good one. Colman's casting really made this movie better. The rest of the cast features effective actors and it mostly worked.

The animation was good. It represents a newer trend in animation. I like the lived-in grittiness that is mixed in with the bright, vibrant colors. It's not as stunning as in a film like The Bad Guys, but it's engaging and well done. I was impressed by the visuals throughout. The movie is also quite funny. I'm not sure it's quite hilarious and a lot of jokes are just for kids, but I did laugh a few times and I could appreciate the bizarre attempts at humor. There's something to be said for embracing the weird.

I liked The Mitchells vs. the Machines and I'd definitely consider it a solid, effective win for Netflix. The film was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Animated Film, which felt right. It's not a great film, not even close, but it was especially well done. Encanto was great and absolutely deserved the win. Still, animated movies have been all over the place recently and a win is a win. This is an entertaining, weird, funny film and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Bad Guys, The Lego Movie