Line #29 Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS10E15


1	'''Release date:''' August 1, 2017
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3	'''Film:''' ''Film/{{Monkeybone}}'' (2001)
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5	'''Tagline:''' Just because it's dark and weird doesn't mean it's good.
6	----
7
8	!!Tropes:
9	* AbortedArc: The Critic calls out a loose-ended subplot involving Stu's sister Kimmy demanding to pull off his life-support system while he's in a coma. Nothing much comes out of it, other than a comment about how she and Stu "made a pact" because their father died so slowly (though her unusually cheery tone brings a lot of it into question).
10	* ActorAllusion: Three InUniverse cases:
11	** When Julie proposes to her colleagues a plan to scare Stu out of his coma, the Critic suggests showing him reviews for ''Film/SingleWhiteFemale'' (a poorly-received film starring Julie's actress Bridget Fonda, who the Critic thinks is an otherwise good actress).
12	** Seeing Creator/WhoopiGoldberg and Creator/ThomasHadenChurch as Death and her uncredited assistant, the Critic jokes that they are just in it for a paycheck in between two big projects, such as ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' and ''Series/TheView'' for Goldberg, as well as ''Series/{{Wings}}'' and ''Film/{{Sideways}}'' for Haden Church.
13	** When Stu awakes in the body of a dead gymnast, Critic points out that one of the morgue surgeons is played by Creator/BobOdenkirk, making him wonder where in ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' (where Odenkirk plays the titular AmoralAttorney) that scene fits into.
14	* BrickJoke: The Critic forces Malcolm and Tamara to punch themselves after a bad joke in the film. When the Critic makes one at the end of the first half, however, it becomes ''his'' turn to punch himself.
15	* CallBack:
16	** The opening sketch has the Critic give a pair of kids (Malcolm and Tamara) a chance to to make a movie with weird stuff in it in light of the success of ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}''. But he does not like the results he get, which include ''[[Film/LittleMonsters Little]] [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS3E47 Monsters]]'', ''[[Film/CoolWorld Cool]] [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS10E4 World]]'' and ''[[OhCrap Monkeybone]]''.
17	** An {{idiosyncratic wipe\|s}} from Stu!Monkeybone getting close with Julie to real Stu trying to get out of Down Town had the Critic feign relief that such wipes from ''Film/{{Hulk}}'' ([[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS10E14 which he reviewed a fortnight before]]) are finally getting some use.
18	* ComicalAngryFace:
19	** The Critic is absolutely livid at Malcolm and Tamara when their last attempt at a surreal movie turns out to be ''Monkeybone''.
20	** Instead of final remarks at the end of the film, the Critic is simply scowling at the scene where a naked Herb, affected by the nightmare gas, [[BreakingTheFourthWall screams at the audience]] to take their clothes off.
21	* DamnedByFaintPraise: The Critic claims he finds more personality from the ''peach'' in ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' (Henri Selick's previous directorial effort before this film) than Monkeybone.
22	* InnocentInnuendo: How the Critic's joke on Monkeybone betraying Stu went. Even Malcolm and Tamara thought that joke wasn't funny, and the Critic ends up punching himself for it.
23	-->'''Critic:''' So, like most boners, you think it's your friend, but it often gets you in trouble and, sometimes, even lands you in prison.
24	* RuleOfThree: When the Critic describes the kinds of surreal movies that still hold up and those that do not:
25	-->'''Critic:''' Films like ''Film/{{Gremlins\|1984}}'', ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'' and ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' still hold up. Films like ''Monkeybone'', ''Monkeybone'' and ''Monkeybone'' do not.
26	* ShoutOut:
27	** The review begins with the Critic showing a picture of Creator/TimBurton as an example of directors who specialize in surreal movies, and also shows such good works as ''Film/ReturnToOz'', ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', ''Film/TheWitchesOfEastwick'', ''Film/{{Gremlins\|1984}}'', ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'' and ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman''.
28	** Given the failure of ''Monkeybone'', the Critic is grateful that at least its director Henry Selick had better works such as ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''.
29	** Upon seeing the surreal ''Monkeybone'' cartoon, the Critic thinks that Creator/CartoonNetwork has greenlit "An [[Creator/RobertCrumb R. Crumb]] Christmas".
30	** The Critic got so bored that he's more interested in identifying the ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode where the Krusty picture in the background came from. While looking at another scene later, he realizes that the episode in question is "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E15HomieTheClown Homie the Clown]]".
31	** The surreal Down Town is compared to a Japanese version of ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse''.
32	** The Reaper is compared to the "[[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ghost of Christmas Missteps]]", who convinced Creator/MichaelCaine that he can [[Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol act alongside]] Franchise/TheMuppets.
33	** Hypnos's vision of Stu's nightmares has the Critic thinking it'd be better had the story behind that scene replaced with a Music/{{Rammstein}} song.
34	** When the Critic realizes that the film was written by Sam Hamm, of the Creator/MichaelKeaton ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' [[Film/Batman1989 films]] [[Film/BatmanReturns fame]], the Critic realizes that certain plot elements of this film make a lot of sense: "The villain wants to release a gas on everybody disguised in a giant cartoon, while a sexy catwoman comes in, suddenly deciding she's in love with the main character, and UsefulNotes/McDonalds wants to attach their Happy Meal rights to a franchise sure to have children wet their beds."
35	** As punishment for the overly-long farting Monkeybone toy joke, the Critic blows up Malcolm and Tamara, before transitioning into a RelaxOVision with [[Film/PulpFiction Jules Winnfeld's face and the caption "Please Forgive Our Great Vengeance and Furious Anger"]].
36	** After Stu gets caught by Death again offscreen, the Critic sings his own spin on "[[Film/TheMuppetMovie The Rainbow Connection]]":
37	--->"Someday we'll find it--the screenplay's connection--the author's intention. Maybeeeee..."
38	* SoOkayItsAverage: [[InUniverse The Critic's]] opinion on Creator/BrendanFraser (Stu Miley).
39	* SpitTake: Stu!Monkeybone's generic delivery of this trope has the Critic calling out its predictability, while spontaneously also doing it to show that it's better when it comes out of nowhere.
40	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: At the end of the review, the two kids' parents are revealed to be Creepy Dad and Aunt Despair, and they leave together, but not before the latter two deny knowing the children when the Critic asks them of their relationship.
41	* TakeThat:
42	** In contrast to the seven good surreal movies, the Critic also points to their less-than-stellar counterparts such as ''Film/TheFrighteners'', ''Film/HowardTheDuck'', ''Film/SonOfTheMask'', ''Film/SuperMarioBros1993'', ''Film/TheWitches1990'', and ''Film/TheodoreRex''.
43	** The Critic deems the in-universe ''Monkeybone'' cartoon an abortive effort similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'' and the digital release of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''.
44	** The Critic calls Dave Foley (Herb) the AnthropomorphicPersonification of TheNineties trying to die in [[TurnOfTheMillennium the early 2000s]].
45	** Fraser's dull performance as Stu has the Critic joke that he's training how to not to be funny in ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction''.
46	** After being exposed to Monkeybone's nightmare gas, Stu's dog had a NightmareSequence where cats castrate him. The Critic then claims that cat videos on the dark side of the Internet are creepier than he thought.
47	* ToiletHumor: The Critic calls out a 90-second-long sequence introducing a farting Monkeybone toy.
48	* VisualPun: When the Critic describes the adult humor in this film as pushing the envelope of the acceptability of animation--a style traditionally relegated to a young demographic--in adult movies, he ''literally'' pushes a white envelope to the corner.
49	* WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief: The Critic deems such a good-looking guy as Fraser inappropriate to play such a tormented artist as Stu. When Malcolm and Tamara try to defend their casting choice, the Critic retorts that good-looking protagonists in surreal movies usually play the OnlySaneMan. He also takes issue that Stu, as a social outcast, would also have such a beautiful girlfriend as Julie [=McElroy=], though Tamara later remarks how they blackmailed Fonda into the role.
50	* WritingLines: As punishment for giving him one too many movies with weird stuff in them that are inferior to ''Beetlejuice'', the Critic makes Malcolm and Tamara write on a whiteboard, "I will not breathe", several times. They say that line each time they write it.
51	-->'''Critic:''' [[CaptainObvious Well, how can you accomplish that if you're]] ''[[CaptainObvious saying]]'' [[CaptainObvious it?]]
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Context Recap / TheNostalgiaCriticS10E15