Weekend Watch: Luca, And Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It
Pixar's sunny latest and an icon profiled
Image Credit: Disney+
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Pixar’s going on an Italian summer holiday and a showbiz icon unearths some hard truths but stays wonderful. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
Even given everything that happened (and is still happening) with the pandemic, you wouldn’t blame Team Pixar for feeling a little ill-used by Disney after the parent studio pushed Soul to Disney+ with no extra charge, and has done the same for the company’s latest, Luca. Despite the Mouse House’s crammed release schedule (Marvel, its own animated output, and live-action films to consider), there was surely scope to wait on Enrico Casarosa’s feature directorial debut and offer the lush, summery visuals the cinematic scope they’d really benefit from.
Instead, we’re left to judge the new film on its small screen terms, and even without the scale of a theatrical release, it’s worth checking out, even if it is as lightweight as the foam on a cappuccino. And whoever said every Pixar movie had to be an intellectual interrogation of the human soul?
Keeping with the studio’s drive to make more original movies, Luca certainly falls into that category – with a few qualifications. This is very much in the Pixar buddy movie mould, and also finds a character looking to broaden their world at personal risk. There are shades of Finding Nemo and even Disney’s The Little Mermaid here, as young Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) is intrigued by the world above his ocean habitat, but warned in particular by his mother Daniela (Maya Rudolph) that the arena of the “land monsters” is a scary, life-threatening place. Luca gets his chance after an encounter with Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer), a fellow mer-lad who has found a way to live above the waves. They end up venturing into the nearby human town, and become obsessed with the concept of Vespas, even going so far as to build their own. Yet the locals represent a real threat, as they’re all on edge, telling tales of mythical sea monsters. And while Alberto and Luca look human when they’re dry, they turn back into their true form whenever they get wet. Yes, you can figure out what happens from there…
This latest outing might not win all the awards for originality, and its theme of outsiders looking to fit in has been handled many times before. But Luca is sweet and entertaining, bright and sunny, lit like it’s your summer holiday (remember them), and while it might not have the emotional punch of, say, Inside Out or Toy Story 3, it brings you along for the rickety ride with charm and enthusiasm. Native Italian speakers might wonder about the odd mix of American accents and Italian in a small town, but this is an animated movie, not a documentary (points also for calling the town Portorosso, a nod to fellow animation legends Studio Ghibli).
Luca is like tiramisu – nimble and fluffy and designed to cheer you up, and ultimately destined to be a passing pleasure. The film seems unlikely to bother many Pixar top 10 lists, yet it’s spirited and boasts a great (if far too short) cameo from Sacha Baron Cohen as Luca’s weird, deep trench-dwelling uncle.
Luca is now on Disney Plus.
Image Credit: Roadside Attractions
Rita Moreno is one of those icons people tend to take for granted these days, as though she’s always been the vibrant, canny, outlandish character she is known to slip into. The reality for the Puerto Rican performer is, however, quite different. And while it’s easy to see why someone might want to make a documentary about her and her long, multi-awarding-winning career, director Mariem Pérez Riera puts Moreno enough at ease to reflect on the trials and tribulations of that incredible run (one that continues to this day).
Some of what the actress/singer/dancer/activist has to say will be expected, from the early struggles to her frustration at being typecast as “native” girls with deep tans and fake accents. But there is real pain and self-reflection to be found here too, the mask of the consummate entertainer slipping to show the harder realities of her personality. Make no mistake: Moreno suffered on her way to success, and even success didn’t breed security. Yet finding new elements to reveal about her relationship with Marlon Brando is a particularly poignant section of the film, Moreno unafraid (albeit after years to process and lots of therapy sessions) to confront how their shared passion (when he wasn’t busy finding himself the most loveable person in the world) affected her.
There is helpful colour here for some of the pivotal moments of her life, including her brief Oscar acceptance speech for West Side Story and the film’s shoot itself, an early pregnancy, and the abuse she suffered at the hands of men who thought a little power gave them carte blanche to behave like monsters. Additional commentary and resonance come from those who know her, or have followed in her path, including Gloria Estefan, Karen Olivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Morgan Freeman, and Justina Machado, who plays her daughter on the much-missed sitcom revival One Day At A Time.
Moreno is, by turns, candid and joyful, first shown putting together decorations for her 87th birthday party (“this is how you know I’m not a star,” she quips, “because someone else would be doing this” – before the camera pans across her many accolades) and more than willing to go down dark corridors with a sense of, no longer caring what people think. This is a trailblazer who still has the burns from her trip, and wears the scars so others know what she’s been through. She’s earned her recognition and the documentary is both a fantastic celebration and a notable walk down memory lane. With luck, it’ll also feature in the conversation when documentary awards are handed out next year.
Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It is in US cinemas now.