As Good As It Gets

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

What a wonderful and infectiously joyous piece of work this cartoon is. It's so sunny and uplifting, despite I guess, technically having some inherent downer elements in its scant story. I rank it among a mere handful of the exceptionally appealing gems of animation from a long time ago that are generally loved by all who see them, despite one or two rotten apples.. I think it deserves all of the acclaim that it's gathered over the decades, it's that darn frog, he's just too precious! It's his voice that makes the whole short work. It's a simple one, but what a perfectly hilarious gag of him singing the songs, or singing *that* song to be exact! It's a joke that I simply can't help but smile at, the dead-pan expression of the amphibian in the split-second before he practically explodes into old-timey swinging song is just brilliant! That silly little man, why couldn't he just be a normal person and learn to appreciate the frog for himself without trying to exploit him for profit, then he might've been happy and not left a broke man in more ways than one, and the poor frog's gift wouldn't get treated like a curse and he wouldn't have to be tossed into oblivion forever until the next greedy sap with stars in his eyes woke him up and started of the hilariously sad cycle all over again! ~Forever!~ This is an exuberantly entertaining exercise in animated song and style in which the animators clearly had a great time taking to its limit. It's colourful and unique, it has tons of charm and personality, and most importantly - it's really fun! 9 solid gold frogs out of 10!!

The J.C. Wilbur building is being demolished by the Acme Building and Wrecking company. When they are down to just the cornerstone, a foreman discovers a proclamation, so to speak, about the building being erected in 1892. Suddenly, a frog climbs out of the cornerstone, slowly stretches and then dons top hat and cane and starts belting out a stage tune! The foreman raises an eyebrow and pictures himself a rich man by exhibiting a singing frog.The rest is pure hell for the foreman. He goes to the Acme Theatrical Agency (everything was "Acme" back in these '50s LT; just ask Wile E. Coyote). Of course, the frog does nothing now, just gives a huge belching noise and lies limp. The foreman is booted out, and instantly the frog comes back to life again!The gag continues, and could get tiresome and frustrating but the frog is so darned funny I didn't mind how many times I kept seeing the same schtick. In fact, the frigging frog wouldn't shut up....until other people showed up. I actually felt sorry for the poor foreman. The frog ruined his life.....and will keep doing it to others years from now, as we see at the end of the cartoon when the little monster is re-discovered in the middle of this century! This is a very sadistic story. How nasty can you be? That foreman should have had frog legs for dinner early on and saved himself a lot of grief.

***SPOILER WARNING!!!*** "One Froggy Evening" was a cartoon made in 1955 by Chuck Jones of the Warner Bros. fame. It's about a poor man who's working in a construction lot one day and finds a box with a singing frog inside. The man decides to exploit the frog's talents for his own financial gain, but ends in failure because the frog only sings for its discoverer.This short is very unique because the only dialogue coming out of this film is the frog's beautiful singing voice. It's very beautifully animated with a good story developed as well. Apparently, it's called the "Citizen Kane of Animated shorts" by Steven Spielberg because it was so funny and vivid, it clearly would deserve the title! Well worth tracking down. It's on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 2 DVD, so grab it and watch this cartoon! 5/5 stars.

You know, I would virtually tell everyone to watch EVERY short that Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese collaborated on. They are icons in creating some of the best storytelling animation in our time. EVERYONE looking to get into screen writing or story board writing should study their storytelling. But the two most important ones, the first ones that everyone should watch when beginning their curiosity should be Feed the Kitty, which inspired Joe Dante and Chris Columbus, and this short, One Froggy Evening, which influenced Steven Spielberg.A laborer at a demolition site discovers a frog that can sing and dance. Seeing a world of opportunity, he leaves, and gets more than he ever bargained for.There are too many elements in this short to count. But it's great. The frog doesn't even need to sing for you to appreciate the hilarity of it all. But if you do listen to the frog, I guarantee you at one point in your life you will sing that song in your head. When people at my work ask me to try to tune out some song in their head, I pop out, "Hello My Baby," or, "Michigan Rag." They end up having one of those songs permanently stuck in their head. Try it! You'll go through work faster and have a good memory stuck in your head. And if you haven't watched this cartoon, I suggest you find it. Now.