Bill Plympton's latest feature provides further evidence of the iconoclastic animator's subversive wit and outrageous humor.
The tale of a suburban husband who finds himself with the power to turn every flight of his imagination into reality, "I Married a Strange Person" is an often hilarious effort that suffers only from repetition. Plympton is obviously more interested in creating feature-length films (this is his second full-length animated effort), but it may be that his talent is best absorbed in short doses.
Plympton, eschewing computers, draws every frame by hand, resulting in a shimmering, jerky quality that can be tough to watch for 74 minutes. He specializes in grotesque exaggeration and visual puns, with much of his humor deriving from bizarre physical transformations. The story, which begins with a pair of birds copulating wildly in midflight, provides ample opportunity to showcase his aesthetic.
The opening scene doesn't even compare with the film's highlight, an extended comic sex scene that would put even the most flexible porn stars to shame (at one point, the woman's breasts burst out of the house). There are numerous other hilarious set pieces that would no doubt stand up on their own as short subjects.
This being a feature, a rudimentary and not-always-coherent plot is provided, having to do with an evil villain's efforts to use these powers for his own nefarious ends. There is also a procession of fantastically silly songs, whose absurdist lyrics provide further opportunities for the animator to demonstrate his unique imagination.
I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON
Lions Gate Films
Producer-animator-director: Bill Plympton
Photography: John Donnelly
Co-producer: John Holderried
Editor: Anthony Arcidi
Sound: David Rovin
Music: Maureen McElheron
Color/stereo
Voices: Charis Michelsen, Tom Larson, Richard Spore, Toni Rossi, J.B. Adams, John Russo
Running time -- 74 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The tale of a suburban husband who finds himself with the power to turn every flight of his imagination into reality, "I Married a Strange Person" is an often hilarious effort that suffers only from repetition. Plympton is obviously more interested in creating feature-length films (this is his second full-length animated effort), but it may be that his talent is best absorbed in short doses.
Plympton, eschewing computers, draws every frame by hand, resulting in a shimmering, jerky quality that can be tough to watch for 74 minutes. He specializes in grotesque exaggeration and visual puns, with much of his humor deriving from bizarre physical transformations. The story, which begins with a pair of birds copulating wildly in midflight, provides ample opportunity to showcase his aesthetic.
The opening scene doesn't even compare with the film's highlight, an extended comic sex scene that would put even the most flexible porn stars to shame (at one point, the woman's breasts burst out of the house). There are numerous other hilarious set pieces that would no doubt stand up on their own as short subjects.
This being a feature, a rudimentary and not-always-coherent plot is provided, having to do with an evil villain's efforts to use these powers for his own nefarious ends. There is also a procession of fantastically silly songs, whose absurdist lyrics provide further opportunities for the animator to demonstrate his unique imagination.
I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON
Lions Gate Films
Producer-animator-director: Bill Plympton
Photography: John Donnelly
Co-producer: John Holderried
Editor: Anthony Arcidi
Sound: David Rovin
Music: Maureen McElheron
Color/stereo
Voices: Charis Michelsen, Tom Larson, Richard Spore, Toni Rossi, J.B. Adams, John Russo
Running time -- 74 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/31/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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