Movie Review: Inside Out Gets In Your Head

(Originally written 6/29/15) 

 

 

 

Grab the wife and the kids and pile them into the station wagon. This is THE must see movie of the summer. In my case, the wife and some of the kids weren’t available. And it was a minivan. But I grabbed the remaining fruit of my loins and off we sped to the multiplex.

Directly preceding all Pixar releases is a "short" produced by the California-based dream maker. Some hit, some miss. “Lava” was a definite miss for me. I really wasn’t into two volcanoes crooning a failed songwriter-turned-animator’s island love balad at one another. Rather than erupting, I thought it sputtered.

BUT! On to the main event! The story of Riley and the voices in her head is the stuff that parents wish they were taking their youngins to on a more frequent basis. With most family oriented fare, it’s like buying a scratch and win lotto ticket that winds up in the trash can and is soon forgotten. This one hits the jackpot.

From the moment we meet Riley as an adorbs infant and are introduced, one by one, to her emotions, she has our hearts AND minds. A brilliant riff on how our feels and memories shape us, Inside Out could make a psychology textbook writer green with envy. (Speaking of, where WAS Envy in Inside Out? Get it together Pixar!)

Ever wonder why some experiences and memories help determine who we become? Or why others fade with the passage of time? This kiddie flick has totally plausible explanations.
It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you cry. You definitely won’t regret kissing your *five bucks goodbye.

*Five bucks EACH. On Tuesday. Only at the Larry H Miller Megaplexes. Anywhere else, you're looking at shelling out about 18 bucks apiece.

4 out of 4 stars.