Everything is AWESOME!!
I won some mom points this weekend and took Mary Tyler Son and our neighbor to the Lego Movie. As other movie reviews suggested, it really was awesome. The five and six year olds like it and so did all the moms and dads in the audience. Best, was that I think all those folks liked it for different reasons, which is the sign of a great family movie.
Everything is cool when we’re part of a team!!
I noticed that this appeared to be kind of an “event” film, too. Large groups of friends and family were there together, parents were snapping photos of their kids in front of the ending credits, and unlike lots of movies, folks seemed to hang out and chat when it was over, much to the dismay of the ushers wanting to clean up the remnants of soda and popcorn.
Everything is better when we stick together . . .
When I asked my resident crack market research team (MTS and neighbor) what they liked best, it was the expected blaster shots and overall high energy of the film. They loved the effects and the action. When I took a look at some other parent reviews, there was lots mentioned about the clever humor that might skate past the kiddos, but their parents got the laughs.
We’re the same, I’m like you, you’re like me — we’re all working in harmony.
What I haven’t heard mention of is the fantabulous subversive message behind the Lego Movie. All wrapped in a pretty package of brightly colored bricks and friends working together to accomplish a shared goal is the very clear message that BIG BUSINESS is dangerous and scary and wants us to be little more than cogs in its economic wheels. In the film, the mini figs are little more than puppets that buy as they are told, eat as they are told, work as they are told, listen to what they are told, and watch what they are told — all provided courtesy of Octan, chaired by President Business.
Everything is awesome when we’re living our dream.
The movie’s theme — an instant ear worm — is infectious and happy, but the message behind the song is hilarious, too. Sure, everything is awesome, from twigs to Nobel prizes to a piece of string to clogs (clogs really are awesome, by the way), but Lord Business a/k/a President Business also wants his little mini figs to just be happy, no matter what. Lose your job? No worries — that’s more time to work in the community! Step in a great big pile of mud? No worries — you always wanted brown shoes!
Everything you see or think or say is awesome!
Happy mini figs are mini figs that don’t question or doubt or revolt or have needs. If you worship at the corporate conglomerate alter and your name is Lord Business, that really is awesome.
Pfffft. I don’t want to spread too much Marxist-Socialist-Fandango-Voodoo here, because truth is, I loved the movie. Partly for it’s distrust of corporate homogenity, yes, but also for it’s sheer joy and message to kids, which was way more obvious than the big business is scary subtext.
Use your imagination, kiddos, have fun, break out of your molds, know that there are lots of different worlds out there and its great to explore and mix it up in all of them. You are “the Special,” but so is your neighbor and your mom or dad and your little sister, too, and not necessarily all at the same time. Believe! in yourself, just like the little cat in the poster tells you to — you will not be disappointed.
Oh! And I am totally making tacos this Tuesday night. Ha!
Mary Tyler Mom 