Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

Everyone loves classic cartoons. But what if your favorite cartoon character was suddenly thrown into a murder mystery film? In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, this is exactly what happens.

Jaded private eye Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) is called in to follow film star Roger Rabbit's wife, Jessica (Kathleen Turner), to find out if she's cheating on him. One catch: Roger (Charles Fleischer) and Jessica are cartoons ("toons"). In a world where cartoons and humans live and work together, nothing is as it seems. Soon Eddie's investigation of Jessica turns into a full-blown murder investigation when Marvin Acme, head of Acme Corporation, is killed after pictures of Jessica and him are shown to Roger. Roger is the prime suspect, and Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) will see to it that nothing stands in the way of catching him. Doom sends out his cronies--cartoon weasels--to capture and "dip" Roger (Dip is Doom's creation and is the one thing that can kill a toon). Roger shows up at Eddie's apartment and begs for help, claiming that he's innocent. Eddie reluctantly agrees to help the rabbit, which leads to many shenanigans and surprises.

I quite enjoyed Who Framed Roger Rabbit; I like that Disney took some risks with it--it wasn't a kids' movie, but it had elements to keep the young ones entertained (Roger's silly antics, for instance) while still creating an interesting plot line for the older crowd. I think the film also sent out some great messages. Two that stand out in my mind are Roger's lines about laughter ("A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have.") and Jessica's quip about her appearance ("I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."). Both of these lines represent ideas that people need to remember more often: enjoy life, and don't judge a book by its cover.

It was also refreshing to see some classic cartoon characters in the film. Growing up, I always knew who Betty Boop was because she was my grandmother's favorite character (her name was also Betty, so we all called her Betty Boop); when I saw her in the film I couldn't help but smile. I also enjoyed seeing some of Disney's "forgotten" characters of the 40s, characters whose films aren't as well-known anymore.

Yes, the film is goofy. Yes, some parts are very (very) far-fetched. But what else would you expect from a film where humans and cartoons coexist? If you can handle cheesy, I highly recommend this film for its cinematic elements (my favorite shot is Eddie's shadow as he's unlocking his office door...very noir) and lovable characters (oh come on, Roger's adorable).

Score: 9/10
Would recommend? Yes