1977-11-27
N/A
25 min
Garry Trudeau's classic characters (Mike Doonesbury, Zonker, etc.) examine how their lifestyles, priorities, and concerns have changed since the end of their idealistic college days in the 1960s. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Summoned from the pool for his dinner, "Zonker" watches a bit of "Thudpucker" on the television before settling down to a dinner prepared by "Mike" that might just be lasagne. It's an extension of this quizzicality that starts to evaluate the changes in society that have occurred since their earlier lives sharing just about everything. Is that era truly finished? Is that even their concern any more? What is worth fighting for nowadays? Steeping in more reminiscences accompanied by some sort of Bob Dylan-esque folky ballads, we take a trip (literally, I think) into their tear-gassed past; play some American football and listen to an increasingly meandering, anodyne and frankly quite annoying tirade of dialogue that I found just a bit too contrived and not at all funny. Spaced out or timed out? I didn't really care after ten minutes of this overlong depiction of things "totally incoherent". It might well resonate better with US audiences, but not being one of those I found it all a bit facile. Sorry, but my heart and mind was elsewhere, especially when it went into philosophical crêche mode followed but the worst parody of a nativity play I've ever experienced. As ever with Hubley animations, there is a quality of animated continuity that cleverly reflects the narrative - there's just way too much of that chat.
