Seeking Escape in An Action Movie

Are you looking for an escape from the heartbreaking news of the day?

Well, temporary escape, I hope. Tuning out is the American way of coping with bad news, and it’s a truly bad idea. A democratic republic depends on a populace that, at the very least, pays some attention to news of the day.

So, to briefly, only briefly, escape from the gratuitously violent news of the day, I followed a classic strategy. I went to a theater with my wife, bought a huge tub of popcorn (and a refill), and watched an action movie filled with acrobatic tricks, narrow escapes, and chase and fight scenes.

It even had Keanu Reeves. It was “Toy Story 4.”




When we were on the way to the theater, my wife noted that a friend had said that she cried at every Toy Story movie, and we laughed, a bit. The Toy Story franchise is indeed filled with heart-touching narratives, but hardly draws tears.

And then, near the end, your macho manly movie correspondent choked up. Tears filled my eyes. That lost little girl, that doll, that reunion with her parents—ahhhh.

Ok, Pixar, you did it.

Woody and Forky talking over the meaning of life in "Toy Story 4." Image from Disney.com.

 But wait, there’s more. A few minutes later the familiar cast members gather to say farewell and Godspeed to one of their own—and, sure, the waterworks are ready to start again.

Disney Image. Duke!

And Keanu Reeves! I’m not the biggest KR fan, but he is perfect as a Canadian clueless action doll, pining for the boy who rejected him.

“Toy Story 4” is not a perfect movie. I found the middle action scenes in the antique shop to take up a bit too much time. Toy Story excels in character development and dialogue, which the action sequences support, and the action sometimes is too central in this latest installment.

So maybe number four is not the very best Toy Story movie. But how many movie franchises manage to stay fresh and heartfelt into the fourth movie? And we were a bit skeptical of the idea of “Toy Story 4,” because the third movie felt so final. It would be like a fourth “Lord of the Rings” movie.

We were wrong.

Pixar, your writers are just so darn clever. I do wish Jessie had a more screen time, and wanted more of the interplay with the old cast—interactions between T Rex and Mr. Potato Head, for instance. Still, “Toy Story 4” is totally worth it. Who wouldn’t love the Mr.-Bill-like Forky?

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it will move you. And it will provide you some much needed emotional satisfaction in troubled times.