The One and Only Ivan tells the story of a silverback gorilla named Ivan (Sam Rockwell) that lived in a captivity at a shopping mall for over 20 years. The film was loosely based on a 2012 novel written by K. A. Applegate of the same name which was loosely inspired by true events. Being directed by Thea Sharrock (Me Before You, The Hollow Crown) and written by Mike White (School of Rock, Freaks and Geeks) with a star-studded cast (Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Phillipa Soo, Helen Mirren, and more) what could go wrong? This should be a major hit. But it isn’t.
Where the film suffers the most is the plot. This movie tells the tired story of a struggling animal show that must do something new and different to save the show. This story has been told so many times and thus new retellings need unique elements to set it apart. The One and Only Ivan’s claim to fame would be that Ivan is a special gorilla that learns to paint. Despite this being a predominant vehicle for the plot, it is seen in the very beginning with Ivan drawing for the very first time and then is barely a part of the movie except for the end. It would have been so much more endearing to watch Ivan learn and develop his skill until it grows into something amazing and have it be the driving force of the movie. However, it is something that Ivan tries to hide and at times he actually refuses to do. I think that not developing the painting plotpoint more is a real miss for this movie and consequently is quite dull and boring.
Another way the movie suffers in the lack of explicit meaning. As I watched this movie I really struggled to understand what exactly it was about. Was it just a silly story about silly animals? Was it about animal cruelty and conservationism? Was it about a mid-life-crisis, fragile masculinity, and loss of identity? I really could not tell. And I am not saying that movies should have only one message and one message alone. But this movie truly failed to emphatically state anything or take a strong stand on any issue at all. I think one way this is demonstrated is through the lack of conflict/antagonist. The person closest to an antagonist would be Mack (Bryan Cranston) who runs the animal show at the mall. For the majority of the movie he is seen as someone who is extremely goofy and animated as well as loving and caring towards the animals. However, there is one scene where he pushes Ruby (Brooklynn Prince), the new baby elephant, a bit too hard with her training. During this scene Ivan begins to get angry at Mack, who eventually stops training Ruby for the day and then never does anything relatively unpalatable. The true story of Ivan is really quite sad but the movie made it seem like Ivan did not really have it all that bad. I think that since this movie was attempting to take a stand against animals in captivity, it should have made Mack a more unlikable character which would have put more weight on why Ivan needed to escape captivity. Furthermore, by not having a primary antagonist to defeat or hardship to work through, the characters experience little to no growth. This led to shallow characters, that were one-dimensional, that I didn’t really care about.
Finally, there are some other less annoying issues that are still worth mentioning. First, the humor was nearly non-existent. As an adult I only thought one moment was actually funny with only a handful moments that would be funny for children. Second, parts of the movie Ivan seems to struggle with his identity/fragile masculinity which I thought was a bit contrived and overplayed, especially for a Disney movie. And third, Helen Miren who played Snickers the poodle, was wasted being used on a few flat lines of dialogue. I am sure that with everyone they billed they could only afford her for a few lines, but dang, I love Helen and I always want more of her.
Now, this movie wasn’t completely terrible, there were some bright spots worth mentioning. Despite the lackluster script I was super impressed by basically all of the performances. Bryan Cranston, Sam Rockwell, Danny Devitto, and Brooklynn Prince all did an excellent job and some of the minor roles were actually pretty good too. I also thought that the cinematography was amazing and some shots (especially the one of Ivan’s climactic painting) were just stunning. I also found the score, even though predictable, was quite immersive and enjoyable which helped move some of the more dull and boring aspects of the movie along.
In conclusion, someone reading this review might think that these critiques are a bit harsh or excessive. That may be since this is a kids movie, so I shouldn’t really expect much and that I should lower my standards. And I would argue that as an adult, there are so many movies that are intended for children that I truly enjoy. Using the powerhouse of Disney/Pixar as a model, there are so many examples of great movies that transcend target audiences. Movies like Coco, Christopher Robin, Big Hero Six, and Inside Out communicate meaningful messages while using cute characters and humor that both children and adults can enjoy. The One and Only Ivan had a ton of potential. It could could have used the star-studded cast to be an extremely cute, funny, and powerful message about animal cruelty and conservationism but instead is just a dull and boring retelling of a story that’s been basically told many times before. There was no care given to the characters that could have been so complex and endearing but ended up being so shallow. The plot and messages could have been so meaningful but were vague and inconsequential. And I know that this will just be a small grey mark on the storied and celebrated careers of the actors, actresses, and those involved with this film, but this movie could have truly been so much more.
RORSCHACH RATING:
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Victims and Villains is written Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey (and produced by), Caless Davis, Dan Rockwood, & Brandon Miller. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. The One and Only Ivan is property of Disney+. We do not own nor claim any rights. The One and Only Ivan is now streaming exclusively on Disney+. This review was edited by Cam Smith.
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