I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute with a Wonky Wednesday RETRO look at THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES, an animated film from 2021, directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, with the voices of Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Abbi Jacobson, and Olivia Colman. A dysfunctional family’s road trip turns into a battle against evil AI robots for the future of humanity.

4.5 out of 5

This film was dumped into Netflix during COVID, and I finally caught up on it over Spring Break. What a delightful film! You can see the influence of producers Lord and Miller, responsible for the SPIDERVERSE movies, 21 JUMP STREET, and PROJECT HAIL MARY. It is zippy, hilarious, and visually astounding; while never losing the heart of the story in all the madcap robot action. I adored the laser-focus on the prickly relationship between the dad and his daughter. The dad/daughter relationship was the foundation of the film and was immensely moving for me. I found the family drama/humor so compelling that I was initially disappointed by the swerve into robot apocalypse, but the movie used that robot framing to deepen the themes and character drama.

Best Scene. A home video of the dad giving up the log cabin he built by hand to move to a more appropriate home for a baby. The mom asks him if this decision is hard for him. The dad looks at his giggling baby daughter, smiles, and says ‘It’s easy.’ What a deceptively complex scene. Every parent makes sacrifices for their children, but what the film is saying here is that just because the decision to sacrifice is an easy one, it still aches. I love that and feel that deeply.

Best Performance. Danny McBride did a great job modulating his usually bombastic performance style to add more shades of emotion and subtlety. I did think it was really distracting that the director, a grown man, voiced the 10-year old brother. It didn’t sound right.

A 4-quadrant movie that plays for everyone; laugh, cry, and share with your family.