Review of Rejected

Rejected (2000)
10/10
You'll either love it or hate it, but it's superb as a test of your sense of humor
9 October 2004
Rejected (nominated for an Academy Award) is quite simply one of the most stupid, insane pieces of American animation to come in this new decade. There's no plot, just a series of little animated short films by Don Hertzfeldt, an animator who wanted to get some commercial spots with his ads. The result is what's before you, what was entirely rejected, yet repackaged here for the public. Some shorts involve almost nothing at all (albeit with a surprising words from the creatures), others involve surreal images of talking bananas, weird dancing things, and an bleeding incident.

The first time I saw this film, it was a very funny way to kill ten minutes. I watched it with an audience at my university, and almost all of us were cracking up. But then when I watched it again with other friends, I didn't laugh as hard, and they didn't laugh at all. So really, besides the aesthetic interest in the film (sometimes the animation starts to deconstruct on itself, with repeated scribblings put to focus), it's a very subjective viewing. You can either lose yourself in the ridiculousness and catch phrases, or be completely turned off by the lengths to which is wants you to laugh. But it is very memorable, and it's the kind of film I want to see again in several months to a year, when it will be even fresher.
13 out of 20 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed