Kirk Wise

(On Cable TV, July 2021) I’m not going to lie — even hearing about Bobbleheads: The Movie had me raising my hackles in critical disgust: there is no limit now to how low films can go for inspiration; it’s not as if the flipping bobbleheads have any narrative potential; today’s Hollywood should burn; every day we stray further from God’s light; etc. Of course, that’s spending rather a lot of time even thinking about a film that does not deserve any attention. Watching Bobbleheads: The Movie is a singularly joyless experience, but one tempered by the knowledge that if anyone ever remembers the film, it’s going to be in order to condemn it. The exasperating script valiantly tries to find meaning in bobbleheadness (there’s apparently a code — yes, it’s as stupid as it sounds) in order to provide the semblance of a theme for this Toy Story derivative. The plot, as slight as it is, has four bobbleheads (plus Cher – yes, it’s as stupid as it sounds) defending their house against the invasion of their owner’s relatives, whether we’re talking about a redneck stereotype, his money-grubbing wife or their dog. The screenwriting here is about as formulaic as possible: don’t bother looking for wit or depth here, because it’s all blunt surface plotting, with hammered character arcs and cheap resolutions. Things aren’t all that better in execution: the animation is competent but roughly as cheap as it’s possible to justify at this point in time: character designs are simpler, the amount of background detail is minimal and Kirk Wise’s directing isn’t particularly inventive. It all amounts to an intensely forgettable film: something for the kids, maybe, but not particularly tolerable by the entire family. It’s really not worth getting incensed about Bobbleheads: The Movie: it will disappear fast enough on its own.