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all+the+little+animals | Year: 1998 Directed: - Jeremy Thomas disappointing I have to say I was looking so foward to seeing this film. The concept is wonderful. It's too bad the last 15 minutes are about the worst ending I have ever seen. A pleasant story of two lost souls with a common love of animals and the natural world. Suddenly it turns into some gangster horror flick. Complete with car chases, kidnapping and blood. It's as if this ridiculous ending mocks the entire film. As someone who deeply identified with both Bobby and Mr. Summers it was an outrage that this story would take this sensational, unbelievable turn. beautiful and real This film is visually stunning and a must see for animal lovers. It seems to be presented through Bobby's eyes which makes it refreshingly innocent and very honest. I attribute any fairytale-like moments to be the way Bobby really saw them in his childish way. It is a movie the likes of which I don't see very often. It makes no attempts to please it's audience by adding stupid things to the plot in an effort to make it more exciting. Christian Bale is amazing and unbelievably convincing. The fact that he does not overplay Bobby's disability as many actors would, adds to the brilliance of this piece. "You'll rot there with all the other loonies." Bobby Platt (Christian Bale) is the surviving heir to the Platt department store and the fortune that accompanies it. When Bobby's mother dies, he's left in the care of his stepfather Bernard de Winter (Daniel Benzali) also known as 'the Fat'. Thanks to a childhood head injury, Bobby isn't 'normal', and his nasty stepfather tries to take advantage of Bobby by pressuring him to sign away his inheritance. Bobby resists, and his stepfather reacts cruelly. Frightened and confused, Bobby runs away into the countryside. Here he meets a peculiar hermit, Mr. Summers (John Hurt) who's dedicated to protecting wildlife and burying road kill. Bobby relates to Summers as they share similar values. The film's breathtaking scenery and superior acting elevate the film from its somewhat mediocre plot. Hurt is an incredible actor, and I have tremendous respect of his abilities. However, Bale's performance is the truly noteworthy element in this film. The film is allegorical, and as such it also gains a curiosity factor. Allegory just isn't fashionable any more, and often justifiably so. The allegorical elements are interesting, but not enough to really energize my interest beyond the lukewarm. On the negative side, for about the first third of this film, I had the feeling that I was watching some sort of perverse version of "Annie". You may remember that film--little orphan redhead adopted by shiny bald millionaire, Daddy Warbucks. In "All the Little Animals", the nasty stepfather looks like Daddy Warbuck's long-lost evil twin brother. That unavoidable fact, combined with the whole orphan thing, tainted my viewing. In addition, the ending was a huge disappointment for me. The film really had some interesting things to say about human isolation--those of us who do not relate well to other humans often relate extremely well to animals. The film illustrates the healing effects of animal companionship. On the reverse side, of course, cruelty towards animals shows the shriveled side of human nature. This is all charming, etc, but the horribly violent ending while underscoring the film's basic message created an uglier film as a result. I found the ending implausible and out-of-place--displacedhuman. Buy All The Little Animals at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on All The Little Animals Search with the Priority Search Engine on All The Little Animals This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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