MovieChat Forums > Hey Good Lookin' (1982) Discussion > Disturbing- SPOILER (SORT OF)

Disturbing- SPOILER (SORT OF)

posted 15 years ago by BruklinBridge
4 replies | jump to latest

A great mix, or a poor mix, it throws the slapstick action only found in cartoons (throwing your girlfriend's head through the steel roof of a car and she calls you childish) juxtaposed with a bullet that kills- sometimes, makes for a disturbing visual as your brain forgets the laws of reality and then is forced to remember. The cartoon and silliness trys to bring you back to your bugs bunny days, the light sex bringing you to your adolesence, and once you've been semi reduced to childhood, it immediately crushes that childhood with consequences, betrayal and disfunction.

The ugliness of the characters, even the beautiful ones, comes out eventually, bringing to light the cynicism- even pesimism of Bakshi.

The ending tries to throw a glimmer of hope, but with the contempt the artist shows for the characters, age having left them no dignity at all, it isn't enough to pull out of the foul mood it reduces the viewer to.

It does a great job of telling a story. It can generate a powerful emotional affect on the viewer, and it does drag you from emotion to emotion. But in the final scene, it fails to save the spirit it seems to be trying to save. Or maybe that's part of it. Maybe he's saying that there can be salvation down the line, but it will be insufficient for an emotional / honorable recovery.

[–] freudified_n_funkified 15 years ago

Bakshi was great at juxtaposing cartoon violence and real violence -- prime example being Heavy Traffic with the parents over-the-top exagerrated fight and the hyper-realistic slow motion killing at the end. But as far as Hey Good Lookin' goes I would have to disagree that he has contempt for the characters. On the contrary, their age and physical appearance shows a divide in who they were and it's a testament to whatever kind of real love or hope there is that their connection is able to transcend that in the end, however briefly. For me, I didn't need it to have a traditional happy ending - since it's more honest than most live action features, which is quite a feat.

[–] RockytheBear 12 years ago

???????

I just like watching cartoons curse and have sex.

"I fulfilled a lot of people's predictions about me. I've become a real scumbag."

Danny Vermin

[–] themachomulatto 12 years ago

^I second all of that.

---
"You don't understand anything man. Leave your STUPID comments in your pocket!"
-Mark

[–] randir14-1 11 years ago

You must live a pretty sheltered life to think this movie was disturbing.