Monday, April 2, 2012

Fassbender Snuggles A Bear Cub For 2 Hours.

A BEAR NAMED WINNIE (2004)
A good reprieve from American Psycho, no? A Bear Named Winnie delves into the origins of the bear that inspired Winnie The Pooh, a bear named Winnie who was adopted by a World War I army veterinarian, an ultimately won over (most of) the infantry. In short, A Bear Named Winnie is what happens when you feel like doing your history on Michael Fassbender and realize that this one is an instant watch on Netflix. I'm assuming the target audience encompasses young children and their tired mothers looking for a little more eye-candy than The Hunchback Of Notre Dame has to offer, so with that in mind, I'm fully aware that I fall outside this movie's spectrum. However, I have to give it points for trying. Credit where credit is due, there have been worse movies for children dedicated to animals, which can be summed up in "animals do silly animal things for 90 minutes straight." At very least, this movie has a World War I backdrop. Which makes for good bromances and vague moral queries. It also makes for a hardass commanding officer antagonist, who is always over the top but necessary for movies like this.

The highlight, of course, is the bear, Winnie, and Michael Fassbender. The movie really could have been called Fassbender Snuggles A Bear Cub For 2 Hours and I would've been satisfied. Winnie herself is an adorable, lumbering thing and watching her wrap Fassbender in a bear hug sends me into spasms of irrational glee. It doesn't help that Stephen Fry makes a brief but always welcome cameo. Overall, the movie is a happy-go-lucky feel good animal film that never gets too campy nor too Old Yeller style dark, and while it might run a little longer than it has to, it's an entertaining watch for children, Fassbender fanatics, and anyone who stays up at night dreaming about burrowing their face into a mountain of warm bear fur.

8 comments:

  1. Oh I loved this movie. It was so adorable and I love animals and Fassbender. It was cute and sweet, but at least it was a simply, heartwarming story unlike "War Horse" which had so much pathos and unnecessary sequences it was just unbearable to witness.

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    1. Adorable bears + lovely Fassbender = win. You really can' go wrong. I haven' actually seen War Horse, but I'd probably mirror your sentiments.

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  2. I do dream of snuggling a bear! I think I'll check it out with my little ones. I normally stay away from animal movies as they usually end with me in tears and my son asking why I'm hurting.

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    1. I've got to say, this movie definitely tempted me into running into the forest and hugging some bears. It's a good one, with a relatively happy ending (at least for the bear), so I think you'll enjoy it!

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  3. Haven't even heard of this one - and probably won't see it - but there's definitely an audience for it - and bravo to you for giving it the spotlight!

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    1. Thanks! I certainly fell onto it out of sheer "running out of Fassbender movies".

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    2. I haven't heard of this and well, I'm a closet Winnie the Pooh fan. Check off those cool points. ;) I'll have to watch it just for Fassbender, though.

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    3. Ahahaha! Hey, Winnie the Pooh is a little bear BAMF. If you like Pooh and Fassbender, you will certainly enjoy this one.

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