DEAR MR. WATTERSON
G
89 Minutes
Director: Joel Allen Schroeder
Berkeley Breathed, Jef Mallett, Stephan Pastis
‘Are you the creator of HI AND LOIS because you are making me laugh.’
Jeff Albertson, THE SIMPSONS, 3F16
Cast (No one you would know, except Seth Green. He plays himself)
A Back Story For Those Unfamiliar With CALVIN AND HOBBES
Hobbes was a Bengal tiger, living in India. His life was so harsh, that he created a fictitious, suburban life for himself, as a coping mechanism. In this fantasy world, Hobbes lived side-by-side with an imaginative, 6-year-old boy named Calvin. The CALVIN AND HOBBES comic strip is about their pretend adventures.
Most people would describe CALVIN AND HOBBES as a better version of GARFIELD. While that's true, it's only a small part of the picture.
As a kid, during silent reading, I would always choose to read WHERE’S WALDO?, MAGIC EYE, and CALVIN AND HOBBES. Among the three, CALVIN AND HOBBES was the easiest to write a book report on, and was by far, one of my favourite things to read.
I can see why Mr. Watterson didn’t want his product merchandised. GARFIELD is the best example of merchandising gone too far. That comic strip is as annoying as Nermal. And even Bill Murray couldn’t save those less than purrrfect movies. I don’t know how Jim Davis sleeps at night. No, that’s not true. He sleeps with a Garfield fleece blanket, and an Odie shaped pillow, atop a stack of C-Notes.
The whole time, you think the documentary is leading up to an interview with the author. It’s definitely possible, the man isn’t dead. But all I get are tales of unrequited admiration by pseudo-celebrities. You put up with all the not-so-interesting interviews, thinking there’s an eventual pay off, and then the film ends.
I’m not saying there wasn’t anything interesting. I found out many new things. Like they stopped making CALVIN AND HOBBES comics… almost 20 years ago. Another tidbit: those decals, where Calvin is peeing on a Chevy logo...Mr. Watterson did not authorize that piece of merchandise.
This documentary is not grrreat! If Bill Watterson saw this movie, he’d plotz dead. Then he’d spin in his grave until he became nauseous. At which point, Bill would vomit for all eternity.
‘Worst Comic Movie Ever’
Final Verdict: 55 out of 100
Sidenote: Rest in Peace, Brian Griffin. I hope your death is a sick, twisted joke by Seth McFarlane. I do like his replacement though. ‘Paulie’, from THE SOPRANOS.