"Monkeybone" is one of the most visually stimulating movies I've seen in quite a while! Its run in theaters was too brief, which doesn't do a movie like this justice. The imagery was surreal and disturbing, in a nice sort of way. It was interesting to see the strange denizens of Downtown, the mythological characters, the dead celebrities and so many others. The animated Monkeybone keeps the action and the comedy at a fever pitch. It all may have been too much for the average moviegoer. But I say this weird kaleidoscope is worth a look. You won't believe your eyes!
Monkeybone
2001
Animation / Comedy / Fantasy
Monkeybone
2001
Animation / Comedy / Fantasy
Plot summary
In a coma, Stu Miley a cartoonist who created a comic strip called Monkeybone which features a rascal monkey. He finds himself trapped within his own underground creation and must find a way to get back, while racing against his popular but treacherous character, Monkeybone. Naturally, Monkeybone himself is there, and he and Stu quickly start fighting like cats and dogs. When Stu realizes that his sister, due to a pact they once made, is preparing to pull the plug on him, Stu makes a deal with Hypnos, the god of sleep, to help him steal a golden ticket from Death himself. But when Monkeybone takes over Stu's body and escapes to wreak havoc on the real world, Stu has to find a way to stop him before his sister pulls the plug on reality forever!
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A Beautiful Nightmare
Weird world without charm
Cartoonist Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser) created a popular character Monkeybone which is an inappropriate monkey. He falls into a coma after getting into a car accident. His mind is trapped in a cartoon world of his creation with his annoying alter-ego Monkeybone. His sister Kimmy Miley (Megan Mullally) is itching to pull the plug but relents to give it 3 months. His girlfriend Dr. Julie McElroy (Bridget Fonda) discovers that he was planning to propose. She discovers that Stu is in a nightmare loop and wants to inject a serum to ramp up his nightmare even more to scare him awake. Meanwhile in the dreamworld, Stu needs an Exit Pass to get out and Hypnos tells him to steal a pass from Death. Monkeybone double cross Stu stealing the pass and escapes to the real world. Stu wakes up as Monkeybone. Monkeybone is in league with Hypnos to steal Julie's nightmare serum and Stu has to escape to stop them.
The live action CGI combination look more cheesy than interesting. It's like a collection from the cartoon reject pile. It doesn't have an appealing style. Worst of all, Monkeybone (John Turturro) has no charm at all. Quite frankly, the real world isn't any better. It's DOA with the cast of weird characters rejected from Beetlejuice. The story is unimportant after that. Brendan Fraser is too bitter and boring as himself and horribly annoying as Monkeybone. Neither is appealing or compelling. It's a movie without charm. There is no chance of this being funny.
Lynchian styling met with dumbed down stuff
Much of Monkey Bone doesn't seem like it's for kids. While it does have Brendan Fraser and Chris Kattan, in the down town land, there are creatures and vibes that speak of Eraserhead, which is cool considering Eraserhead to be one of the most (if not most) disturbing films ever. However, the film is met with some dumb plot points and characters, and even if some segments were funny (Kattan himself is hilarious),it doesn't get right and is at points dead in the water. Visually, a creepy treat, yet overall, it's a near miss. Factoid- the voice of Monekybone is John Tuturro of the Coen Bros. movies. C+