Geri's Game

Voices of: Bob Peterson
Directed by: Jan Pinkava
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Animation, Short
Length: 4 minutes
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Geri sits in the park and plays a chess game against himself.

Review:

Tim: The best short films are able to pack a ton into a very small package. Pixar had established a strong foundation as a short film company, putting out 5 films in their first 6 years. It had been 8 years since they released an original short film when Geri's Game came out. The technology had made immense strides since their last original. This movie is entertaining, heartfelt, and memorable.

The film tells a clever little story- Geri plays a chess game against himself in the park. The movie sets up the story well, as we see him shift his seat, his demeanor, and his appearance as he plays both white and black in the chess game. As the story progresses, the cuts become quicker, so visually, we see the chess game through his eyes- it's an exciting back-and-forth between him and his alter ego. Black appears to have an overwhelming lead, when White pulls out all the stops in one desperate, innovative finale. It's funny to watch because Geri is just playing against himself. You marvel at his mind, holding all these pieces while he constructs his own story.

The movie also suggests some emotional questions that it allows to linger in the audience's mind. Why is Geri playing a chess game alone? A great many elderly people suffer loneliness. Is that the case here? Did he lose someone? Is he just a strong introvert and loves his alone time? The movie doesn't follow up on any of these questions, but you wonder about them. That's where the deepest emotional hook comes in. The movie can be viewed as a lighthearted film about a guy playing a funny game against himself. Or, you can dig in deeper and wonder exactly what's going on in Geri's life.

A couple other reasons why this film is noteworthy- after the initial short films, Pixar stopped that series to focus on their first feature length film (Toy Story). This movie was pushed by director Jan Pinkava as a way to reignite Pixar's short film series. You look back now and realize how important that was. The film achieved exactly that- it was well received and it actually won Pixar's second Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It did indeed revitalize the short film division, which went on to create some truly excellent films. It also pushed the envelope of computer animation, realistically depicting a human being as the protagonist for the first time in Pixar's history.

Any way you look at it, Geri's Game is an important, influential movie. It's well worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A


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