The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

The Incredibles was my #18.

I saw it quite a few times back when it came out and I was younger. I liked it because it was fun and entertaining but never thought much of it in a bigger sense. Even growing a bit older, it still didn’t seem to possess any heavy or deep emotions like so many other Pixar films and thereby it didn’t really get to me other than on a mostly surfaced level.

But growing older I realized it’s actually one of the most mature tales in the Pixar catalogue. How it’s about regular life and regular everyday problems and just a family dealing with the same stuff we are. I keep referring to the “I’m not strong enough” scene towards the end, said by mr. Incredible. That moment is so strong. If one is willing to look past the fancy superhero stuff there’s a depth within it that is very admirable and beautiful.

I really like Royal Tenenbaums but I did not vote for it.

Seen both, voted for neither.

The Incredibles is the only superhero movie that I love. It's a really clever, funny, and touching movie and is among Pixar's very best. I seriously considered voting for it and did have several other Pixars on my ballot but in the end I had to cut it.

I only like one of Wes Anderson's movies and it's not The Royal Tenenbaums.

Seen: 39/66

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If you know me, you know I love everything about The Incredibles. It's my #1. I realize that, first off, most people think of it as just a Pixar film or an animated film or a super hero film, but I think those tags for it miss the point of what I believe the film to be. It certainly tells a good story, not only in the context of a "family film" or the greatest James Bond film never made, but also in its overall creative presentation. The Incredibles displays sparkling wit and invention on almost every level: character animation, vocal expression, art direction/set design, the yummy musical score which sounds like it's from a '60s spy movie, only much cooler, and the use of both old-style "newsreels" and modern technology to make the plot more-complex and put the entire thing into larger satirical focus. This doesn't even mention the incredibly fast pace of both the editing and the verbal/visual humor.

A normal movie about super heroes wouldn't dig this deep into all the hassles inherent in being a super hero inside when the world won't allow you to express it on the outside. It also presents a family dynamic which is realistic in that it is so full of contradictions. The males in the Incredible family really want to express their super powers, while mom (Holly Hunter) knows it's better for the family (in more ways than one) to stifle them, just as the legal system and government have deemed necessary. The daughter is at the age where she's getting interested in boys but is very shy about this normal process and is able to use her power to help her get through it. The son just wants to be able to show off in sports once in awhile. The baby, well, we don't know about the baby...

Before I start sounding too serious and pompous about what I consider one of the most exhilaratingly FUN movies ever made, let me mention the "Incredible" supporting characters. Mr. Incredible's (Craig T. Nelson's) best friend Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) is one bad mutha, Jason Lee is a riot as a science/tech geek who wants to be Mr. Incredible's sidekick, and perhaps best of all, director/screenwriter Brad Bird plays Edna E. Mode, the costume designer to the super heroes, as a sort of cross between Edith Head and Linda Hunt.

All the gibberish above can just be ignored if you like, while I cut to the heart and soul of how I feel when watching The Incredibles. I feel like the giddy kid I was in the 1960s who fell in love with movies and cartoons. The main difference today is that I can love this film because it reminds me of so many other terrific films which are a part of me, yet it feels newer and more intense than almost all of them. Another thing I think about when I'm watching this movie is that it's a great FILM. I certainly don't think I'm watching a cartoon because these characters are real to me. I'm just glad that the technology is available so that a film classicist of the stature of Brad Bird can share this story with all of us.

The Royal Tenenbaums is good but has never connected with me personally.


My List

1. The Incredibles
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Everything Will Be OK
21. Pride & Prejudice

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My IMDb page

No votes. Though The Incredibles is yet another entry in Pixar's peak period, it's like the others in that I don't have too much use for it (even though it's arguably one of the better ones). I mentioned already that I've been meaning to do a full Wes Anderson rewatch to see how I feel about all his films, but as of right now The Royal Tenenbaums is as easy a pick for my favourite film of his as any. All the more reason to revisit it.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Tennenbaums was my #4. All the Wes traits and Gene Hackman, of course it’s one of his best. Great aesthetic and soundtrack. Super funny, and heartwarming. I love it.

I think The Incredbles is incredibly solid. Two watches and I haven’t responded the way many of you do but I love reading your passions for it and certainly think it’s warranted. Another good movie that didn’t make my list.

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Letterboxd

I grew to like Incredibles more and more each time I watch it. It has a much better story than most superhero movies, and it's very exciting and full of character. Didn't make my ballot, though.

Re: the book, I haven't read it either, but found out when I was digging up Trivia yesterday.

"Although the film is thematically faithful to the novel, two major changes were made to the plot structure during the adaptation process: the novel's spiritualism subplot was removed, and the modern-day frame story was replaced with Borden's wait for the gallows. Priest approved of the adaptation, describing it as "an extraordinary and brilliant script, a fascinating adaptation of my novel."

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The Royal Tenenbaums was #27 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List. The Incredibles was #57 on that list as well as #11 on the MoFo Top 100 Animated Films List.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Incredibles made my list. It’s my favorite Pixar and maybe my favorite superhero movie. Other folks have said what makes it great and more eloquently than me in this thread. I’ll just add that the missile lock scene is HARROWING.

Critics

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Critics thoughts on our #36, The Incredibles...



It currently has a 97% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.0/10 score on IMDb (with 691,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★½ and said:

"[The Iron Giant] had a charm and delicacy that was unique in the genre, and The Incredibles, too, has special qualities, especially in the subtle ways it observes its gifted characters trying to dumb down and join the crowd. Kids in the audience will likely miss that level, but will like the exuberance of characters like Dash. Grown-ups are likely to be surprised by how smart the movie is, and how sneakily perceptive."

While Jessica Winter, of Village Voice, said:

"The Incredibles announces the studio's arrival in the vast yet overcrowded Hollywood lot of eardrum-bashing, metal-crunching action sludge."

As for our MoFo reviewers, @mark f said:

"The Incredibles displays sparkling wit and invention on almost every level: character animation, vocal expression, art direction/set design, the yummy musical score which sounds like it's from a '60s spy movie, only much cooler, and the use of both old-style 'newsreels' and modern technology to make the plot more-complex and put the entire thing into larger satirical focus. This doesn't even mention the incredibly fast pace of both the editing and the verbal/visual humor."

Also, @meatwadsprite said:

"The Incredibles is a brilliant example of flash over substance. It has fun action scenes and memorable catchy music , but the forgettable dialogue and unfocused story keeps this movie from ever being class A entertainment."

Mid Century Modern...I love it! But if you don't know what that is then you missed one of the prime aspects of The Incredibles. I swear everything was done up in Mid Century Modern, with so many details in the background animation that I could've just paused the film and watched it frame by frame...I even spotted a sun burst clock, I have one of those too. Yahoo!

Now if that wasn't enough as soon as I seen the lady costume designer, with the bob hair and round thick framed glasses named E...I knew who that was suppose to be! I love that they included a character that would be unknown to 99% of those watching this.

I thought The Incredible was the most fun that I had watching a Pixar film. I laughed...and I warmed right up to the super hero family that was living incognito.
I've not seen The Royal Tenenbaums but I sure would like to.

Critics

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Critics thoughts on our #35, The Royal Tenenbaums...



It currently has a 81% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.6/10 score on IMDb (with 282,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★½ and said:

"The Royal Tenenbaums is at heart profoundly silly, and loving. That's why it made me think of Wodehouse. It stands in amazement as the Tenenbaums and their extended family unveil one strategy after another to get attention, carve out space, and find love. It doesn't mock their efforts, dysfunctional as they are, because it understands them--and sympathizes."

While David Edelstein, of Slate, said:

"Apart from Hackman, the actors look more trapped by Anderson's rigid framing, color scheme, and enforced deadpan."

As for our MoFo reviewers, @TheUsualSuspect said:

"It's tearful and honest, yet will make you laugh. Without a doubt, in my top 20 films of all time. It's not everyone's cup of tea though, it's a certain taste and one I love."

Also, @kkl10 said:

"The Royal Tenenbaums is worth a watch for those who enjoy these witty and tender comedies, Wes style fits like a glove in this genre and enriches it with a different cinematic quality."

Trailers

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My favourite Wes Anderson movie.

I can agree that Grand Budapest might be his best film, but on a personal level, The Royal Tenenbaums connected with me in a way that his other films just haven't. I love almost all of his movies, I'm one of the few people that consider Rushmore to be overrated and easily his worst movie

Gene Hackman gives a great performance, maybe my favourite of his? Despite his intentions in the story and the overall theme of family and failure, there is a heart at the centre of this piece. I don't think any of his other films have the heart this film does. I'd even say it's one of his more ambitious movies in terms of how many characters it has to track and make us connect to. The opening sequences of the film showcase his skill and gives us exactly what we need. We are introduced to these unique characters and how they are connected to this absurd family.

This film introduced me to my favourite musical artist, Elliott Smith. Needle in the Hay plays in Luke Wilson's attempted suicide scene and I remember scrambling to find that song online. I loved it, listened to it numerous times and I had to seek out his other music. There will always be a special place in my heart because of that.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

I've seen The Incredibles, but that was a while ago, so I don't remember it too well. I remember liking it quite a lot though.

I haven't seen The Royal Tenenbaums yet.

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IMDb
Letterboxd

3 more of my selections have made rit in recent days.

Finding Nemo #8
The Incredibles #22
The Royal Tenenbaums #2

Huge fan of early Pixar films and of course, Wes Anderson films.

THE INCREDIBLES: I really loved the first half of this movie. I think the first 45 minutes or so are as good as Pixar gets storytelling wise. Great dynamic between family members. Likely as funny as Pixar has ever been as well. But then as soon as it gets sucked into the usual trope of everyone banding together to fight the bad guy, it just seemed all the clever dismantling of what a superhero movie is, and in the process seemingly becoming one of the best superhero movies made, it stumbles into standard action scenes that, while well done enough, seem to betray all the promise of the beginning.



ROYAL TENENBAUM'S: For a long time this was my favorite Anderson. Now, if it wasn't for the performance by Hackman, it might be close to my least favorite. A recent rewatch of both this and Rushmore made me think of a quote I recently read by someone I can't remember (about someone I can't remember) where they talk about how all great artists slowly subtract from their style as they go along. Reducing what they do to its essence, get rid of the clutter. Become more natural and less calculating with their talents. At this point in his career though, Anderson seemed to go in reverse as he moved from Rushmore to this. Rushmore, while establishing his style and themes clearly, still feels loose. Its humor isn't completely dependant on being arranged on camera by the controlling hand of Anderson. The characters, as unlikeable as many of them are, are three dimensions, human, relatable. RT, on the other hand, seems to heighten and calcify all of his instincts. Everything on screen seems to be stiffled by the over preciousness of his staging. They become chesspieces in his drama, have no autonomy, and inevitably the life in the film dries up. This, one could argue, makes it the Mount Olympus of what he does. It is probably the most clearly realized of all his work. At least visually. And maybe in these ways, his best. But I felt a distance from it during this rewatch that I had never felt before. It was very cold. Seemed as if it had been designed in a labratory (by a bunch of scientists standing in tableau, a bunson burner expelling an explosion of candy coloured smoke at the precise moment in order to punctuate the whimsy of such a scientific study as this)



To be sure, I still like it a good deal. And I think he is an immense talent. But RT is the film of his that I think gives his critics their best ammunition. While the manner in which he creates his films is totally unique, and he is an absolute master of it here, now that we've become so used to what he's been doing that last twenty years, the novelty has worn off. And unlike some of his later work like Isle of Dogs or Moonrise Kingdom, which have an abundance of warmth, RT has a fairly icy heart. He just won't let it move out from under his thumb.

Two more from my list. I think there are now Wes Anderson films I like more than The Royal Tenenbaums, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs, but they're from this last decade. And The Incredibles is my favorite Pixar movie. It's too bad the sequel was so awful.

My List:
3. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
8. Sin City (#47)
13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (#53)
14. The Lives of Others (#41)
16. The Royal Tenenbaums (#35)
18. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
19. The Incredibles (#36)
22. The Man Who Wasn’t There (#84)
24. Moon (#48)

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Another round of "Not on my ballot, but not mad about it" for me.

The Incredibles was such a fun movie to see in the theater. Very fond memories of it.

I actually haven't seen The Royal Tennenbaums in years and years. I have vaguely positive memories of it from seeing it once in the theater and then on DVD. I do have to say that, kind of echoing Crumbsroom, having seen Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, there's a degree of precision and deliberateness to it that leaves me admiring it on a technical level but not so much as a human story.

The Incredibles did well on my animation ballot.

Haven't seen Tenenbaums yet.