The Mitchells vs the Machines

Family road trips are definitely an overused premise in many films for that demographic. Regardless of whether it's a live action or animated feature, there's always a predictable template they tend to follow: introduce members of the group driving together (including conflict between key members, they stop by locations along the way where shenanigans ensue, an obstacle is identified to overcome, and they reach their destination with a change due to character growth). Because it's a common topic, that's where it highly depends on the directing, actors chemistry, and how engaging the experience to make up for the predictability. This brings us to a new entry in this topic, The Mitchells vs the Machines, which was produced by Sony Animation as well as the directorial debut of Mike Rianda (known for his work on Gravity Falls). This was initially announced for a theatrical release under a different title before Sony sold the distribution rights to Netflix and reverted it back to this current title. I watched it ready for something fun and it ended up being one of my favorite films this year so far. 

What's it about? The story follows a disfunctional family whose road trip is intruded due to a sudden robot apocalypse. The focus here isn't to hide the fact the the premise is as by the numbers as you would expect but rather to entertain in comedy. The main character is an aspiring filmmaker (who produces her own YouTube videos) so there are aspects of visual humor reflecting that perspective (for better or worse). The fast pacing of the jokes coming to the audiences works well to the point if one fails, there's another right around the corner. The amount of detail work in the stylish animation is enticing to where pausing parts can find hidden details. The combination of the visuals, entertainment, and light-hearted tone make this a delightful romp.

For all that the film has fun with, however, there are blemishes that are hard to ignore. Sometimes the dedication to "YouTube" style video edits feel jarring that it could have been restrained a bit while keeping the bits of it that worked (there's not a lot of that in there but still). In terms of family unit, the brother felt the weakest in terms of being funny compared to the rest of the members. And as mentioned, the story doesn't hide all the familiar generic format that you would expect, which would make it hard to standout but thankfully it doesn't lean towards melodrama. 

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actors to focus on are Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, and Maya Rudolph. Abbi provides an energetic performance that blends the weird creative yet insecure personality into a role of someone trying to connect with her dad. Danny gives a fun portrayal of that father who's trying to understand his family while trying to get outside his comfort zone with technology. Maya is solid as expected as that supportive mother who can cut loose in over the top situations. The family cast as whole all have great chemistry with one another. Honorable mentions go to Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, and Beck Bennett with the former doing nice work as an AI antagonist while the latter two have a fun dynamic with each other. Minor dishonorable mention goes to Mike Rianda who was miscast as the brother as his voice wasn't the best fit, esp. with the writing.

 

Overall Consensus: The Mitchells vs the Machines mostly overcomes the predictable generic premise with excellent visuals, fast paced comedy, great cast chemistry, and light hearted tone elevates it to an enjoyable experience. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes PG

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Mike Rianda. You are in the mood for a high energy family comedy with an over exaggerated style that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are known for. You like seeing non-Disney studios do their own animated projects. You don't mind generic plots or "YouTube" humor references. You don't mind slightly long comedies.

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or filmmaker Mike Rianda. You aren't in the mood for a high energy family comedy. You have an issue with generic plots or "YouTube" humor references. You are annoyed with slightly long comedies