Just perfect...

Fantastic!

As Good As It Gets

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

OK, I couldn't just sit back and let these bad reviews tarnish this movie and perhaps keep someone from watching it. I can't even begin to describe Monkeybone and how it makes me feel and where it takes me when I watch it. I own it on DVD and have bought several copies for others.I have watched this movie countless times and literally see something new each time. You are supposed to feel anxious and uneasy, that is kind of the whole point of the movie! Stu is lost in a nightmare and trapped with all of the things we imagine in a dreamworld. It really isn't that disturbing and both my son and my niece hold this movie very close to their hearts. You see, instead of Barney or the like they wanted Monkeybone over and over.And anyone who thinks kids shouldn't watch it needs to lighten up.(Someone actually thought the opening sequence about a kid getting an erection over his teachers arm fat was too inappropriate to mention. My god, I am glad they weren't my parent is all I can say!)I loved these kinds of movies when I was a kid and that is probably why love it so much. I think all the actors are hilarious and do a great job pulling off their roles; Chris Kattan gets me every time!

I was flicking across the dial & found this potential indication of creative genius! It isn't as brilliant as it might have been! ... But it has its genuinely funny moments where the sense of what's going on inside each person, each character, is spelt out in adventurous pursuits that most production teams wouldn't have dared to produce!!!... I'd rather have a team of actors & movie-makers like this, who DARE to push the edges!!! ... And succeed 3 out of 4-5 times!!! ... Than those who work a conservative line of forgettable rubbish that too many prefer to mark with financially-motivated clones of other movies! ... For instance, consider what the "Flying High" & "Rocky" crews did to make more money & mileage out of their subsequent dubious propositions!... Yet the originals of "Flying High" & "Rocky" were worthy of being regarded as classics of their respective genres! ... It's jumpy & unpredictable & thought-provoking!!! ... But every now & then, it hits the spot!!! ... And when it does, makes the bewilderment & confusion worth enduring!I share the dismay & frustration other reviewers supportive of this movie have expressed, that some critics have belittled this QUALITY effort without justice or respect of its considerable merits!!! ... The critics won't inspire a future masterpiece.... But this movie "Monkeybone" madness just might!

Monkeybone is original no denying that.It seems to be geared to get a reaction - every pore in the first forty minutes is explored for it surreal quality - creatures of another world abound.If you like your films to be unusual and wacky then this is the film for you - Hellzapoppin meets Erasurehead with a rom-com gooey middle - just weirdly wonderful, and sometimes just plain weird.Not horrific at all it is like watching a circus show - and the energy is palpable - definitely worth viewing if you've never seen it, just don't expect to be just entertained this is ALice in Wonderland for a new generation and very, very strange medicines are involved...Great if you're in the mood, you'll hate it otherwise...

Henry Selick is one of the most underrated filmmakers at work in Hollywood today. He hasn't many features under his belt, but that's because of the effort he invests in his projects. His films take years to complete. Selick's trademark as a director is his love of stop-motion animation, where hand-crafted figures are manipulated an inch at a time. Its a lengthy, time-consuming process that requires a great deal of patience, but in all the films he's made, his perseverance has paid off, and he's turned out some truly stunning work.Although The Nightmare Before Christmas is credited as a Tim Burton film, it was directed by Selick. Together they created a breathtaking world, unlike any I've ever seen before or since. Selick then moved on to the adaptation of James and the Giant Peach, another excellent film. Both were box-office flops sadly, and Selick continues to struggle to find funding for his films as a result. And now we have Monkeybone, a film that attempts to merge stop-motion with live-action.Of Selick's films so far, Monkeybone feels the least satisfying. Maybe because it doesn't quite have the intelligence he brought to his previous work. This is pitched at a much more juvenile level. Brendan Fraser plays Stu Miley, a cartoonist who is the creator of Monkeybone, a wacky wisecracking chimp. After Stu gets in a car crash, he slips into a coma.And winds up in a bizarre buffer-zone between the land of the living and the dead. Populated by strange creatures of all kinds, even Stu's creation Monkeybone is here as a nightclub act. If Stu ever wants to wake up, he has to get an exit pass from Death (Whoopi Goldberg) to return to the waking world. Monkeybone helps him get one, but double-crosses him at the last moment, uses the pass to escape, wakes up in full control of Stu's body, where he wreaks havoc.There's quite a clever idea at the heart of Monkeybone. A figment of your imagination made flesh that tries to take over your life. But although Henry Selick can work marvels when it comes to the animated world, he seems less sure of himself when it comes to live action. When Selick directed James and the Giant Peach, the stop-motion scenes were wonderful, and carried by considerable charm and energy. But he bookended the film with live-action, and its clearly a medium he's not as comfortable in. Because Monkeybone relies on a lot of live-action, the film suffers as a result.A lot of the live-action scenes tend to degenerate into slapstick farce. An approach that would work fine in animation, but less so in live-action. Brendan Fraser is well suited to this type of material, and he plays the part of Monkeybone with a lot of enthusiasm, but I am starting to get a bit fed up of this kind of shtick that Fraser stars in, because its beginning to seem like the only kind of thing he can do.The most interesting aspects of Monkeybone are inside Stu's mind, where his consciousness is trapped in Downtown, a sort of waystation for lost souls. This is the part of the film that really comes alive, because Downtown's an extraordinary, eye-popping piece of set-design.Its filled with so many details I'm not sure where to begin in describing it. Its like a lunatic carnival if lorded over by Tim Burton. And the way Selick merges stop-motion animated creatures with live actors is quite remarkable. There are too many bizarre creatures to keep track of. Cyclops'. Yellow bulls. Giant sized wasps. But its just as astonishing as HalloweenTown, and even occasionally surpasses that inspired creation through sheer invention.The human cast is OK. Rose McGowan lends fine support as a catgirl who lives in Downtown. The sight of her in a catsuit is worth the price of admission alone! And Whoopi Goldberg makes a nicely exasperated Death.But Monkeybone is less than the sum of its parts. Its a film that doesn't go far enough. And substitutes crude toilet humour when the invention runs out. A failing that works against the film is the character of Monkeybone himself. He's not really an interesting character. He's just some obnoxious chimp who looks like he's wandered in from another film.Sadly, Monkeybone was another flop for Selick. Granted I was a little disappointed with it, especially when compared to Selick's previous work. Even if it has moments of real inspired lunacy, its just not up to the high standards of Henry Selick, and only seems to add a further nail into the coffin of his flagging career. And he's a man who really deserves much better.