WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988)

Time has done little to fix what’s wrong with Robert Zemeckis’s pastiche 1940s film noir, a multimedia Live-Action/Cartoony-Animation mash-up: L.A. Private Eye meets Looney Tunes.  Often technically dazzling, it’s the easy stuff that sinks.  It starts well, a cartoon homage (very M-G-M/Tex Avery) as put-upon Roger Rabbit tries to keep co-star Baby Herman out of harm’s way.  Cleverly drawn by animation whiz Richard Williams (his work the consistent saving grace in the film*), the problems begin when Roger Rabbit steps off-screen, so to speak.  Good company on-screen, he’s miscast off, an annoying presence to spend an entire film with.  (Disney tried and failed to make him a franchise character.)  While Bob Hoskins, detective on the case and always good company, is equally miscast.  Pugnacious & roly-poly, he never feels like a classic L.A. Private Dick, and can’t do the physical shtick needed for the big action climax.  Zemeckis not much help cutting in and out with his stunt double.  In fact, not much at editing in general.  Check out an early scene between Hoskins & Roger’s studio boss.  And the case?  At first, it’s about trouble between Mr. & Mrs. Rabbit (Jessica Rabbit: femme fatale with a soft spot for Roger, amusingly voiced by an uncredited Kathleen Turner), merely a Red Herring for a CHINATOWN storyline with evil Christopher Lloyd trying for a Land Rights grab in Toontown.  All remarkably uninvolving.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/LINK:  *Decades in the making, Williams’ chef d’oeuvre  THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER was taken from him and edited down by about 20 minutes into ARABIAN KNIGHT, a flop 1995 MiraMax/Weinstein release.  Various independent hands have put out ‘fan cuts’ of various lengths with this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gows7iOoqaU) considered best.  Elsewise, Williams can be sampled in smash opening or closing credits of films like THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE/’68 and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM/’66.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Along with Jonathan Demme, few directors of the time frittered away more early promise than Zemeckis.  Unsuccessful on release and still little seen, I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND/’78 and (even more) USED CARS/’80, in spite of shortcomings, hold up in ways his latter output doesn’t.  And neither sours in memory.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-wanna-hold-your-hand-1978.html   https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/used-cars-1980.html