Movie Review: Ron's Gone Wrong

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A surprisingly quite good animated family movie. 

What really makes this film work is just how likable our two main characters are. As the movie progresses we learn to truly care about these characters. It is easy to see ourselves in them and therefore have an emotional connection with them. As this is a story about friendship, the most important element has to be the friendship between these two characters. Luckily this is very well handled and brings a real heart to the film. The friendship feels completely natural and we can see it develop in a completely believable way the never feels rushed. Because of this, the emotional moments work surprisingly well and the film has a sweet and unforced charm that makes it a real delight. The story, while nothing new, is also quite well told and has a nice heartfelt message about friendship. 

Like many family movies these days, the filmmakers feel like they have to fill every moment with humor. However this film works better in that department than many similar films do. There are quite a few really funny moments and I certainly found myself laughing more than I thought I would. Still as to be excepted from this constant humor approach, not every joke works. However even the jokes that don't work aren't bad or leave a bad taste in your mouth. They are just kind of there. Because of this they do not distract from how good the jokes that work are. 

On the downside some of the dialogue can feel forced and too on the nose. This is especially true in some very obvious exposition scenes and some scenes which state the moral all too obviously. Some dialogue can also try too hard to sound hip and modern. 

All in all this is a surprisingly delightful movie.