Toys | Robin Williams, Michael Gambon

Toys | Robin Williams, Michael Gambon | Fighting fire with marshmallows.

DVDs:

Toys

	Toys Robin Williams, Michael Gambon 20th Century Fox, 2001 average customer review:based on 70 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Enter a spectacular world of whimsy, fun and fantasy in this acclaimed visual extravaganza directed by Barry Levinson. Robin Williams stars as Leslie Zevo, a fun-loving adult who must save his late father's toy factory from his evil uncle (Michael Gambon), a war-loving general who builds weapons disguised as toys. Aided by his sister (Joan Cusack) and girlfriend (Robin Wright), Leslie sets out to thwart his uncle and restore joy and innocence to their special world.

Toys

Robin Williams is as funny as he can be. A very delightful movie to be watched by all.

Fighting fire with marshmallows.

"Toys" is a brilliant and charming movie, whimsical and serious, visually and conceptually original whose message about means and ends and violence and innocence is eternal and eternally fresh. This movie had me at the advertising poster, with its wonderful updating of the classic Magritte bowler hat and "windows through reality" imagery. I'm a big Magritte fan and the choice of the surrealist painter's images as a starting (and ending) point for the visual direction of this film was perfect! "This is not a pipe", proclaimed a Magritte painting of a pipe once, and "this is not a toy" is the protaganist's gently insistent refrain concerning the war "toys" that his toy company has begun building since his ex-general brother took over the running of the company.

For his brother the ex-general, war is a way of life, and it is no surprise that he should think childhood (a time of fast reflexes and no inhibitions to violence) an excellent time to prepare for adulthood by playing with war toys. The ex-general is also very clear about the fact that the overlap between a war "toy" and a war machine is great and growing.

The bold color palate and surrealist imagery is crucial in conveying the allegoric nature of the movie, and heightens awareness of the themes of violence and innocence. By placing the adult characters of our protaganist Leslie and his quirky sister and militarily obsessed brother in physical environments that are childhood type playroom settings made adult sized, the conceptual nature of "childhood" and "adulthood" are inverted and dramatized.

I'd like to go on, but I hate to spoil it for the first time viewer. Not everyone will enjoy this movie, but if you like the visual look of it and you are on board with the idea that war toys train children to be war-like, and the idea that war should not be trivialized into a children's game (or a never-grown-up-child's idea of a game), you may well find this film to be as wonderful as I did.

(Oh, and no, you don't have to be a total peacenik to find something disturbing in the idea of equating "war" with "games" or "toys" with "weapons", hence you don't have to be anti-war to enjoy this movie.)

A final word: I showed a very disinterested friend this movie (he wound up loving it) and at the very beginning he said to me, "I'm only waiting for LL Cool J to show up." I told him he didn't know how right he was. Possibly one of the coolest entrances ever in a movie. Robin Wright Penn has a slight but important role and she is note-perfect. And she speaks good Dolphin. lunatikat@hotmail.com

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This is a movie for those young at heart!

Those that have rated this movie low on basis that it is childish or infantile has simpy missed the point! And those that have rated it low because of it being unoriginal has NOT been out in the real world! There is NOTHING original in the world anymore, so get off your high horse!
And saying the toys are nazis...dude...crazy much!?!?
This movie is touching and visually striking. The music is wonderful! I thank my father for taking me when I was younger. I STILL watch this movie!
Maybe the plot is shallow and the dialog is questionable sometimes but it's STILL a great movie.
If you walk around with a stick in your bum this movie isn't for you!

If you love a magical but haunting movie than this is a good pick!

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Toys [VHS Tape] (1995)

Thank you, Janet!
The video is exactly as you described. Perfect mint condition! I received it within days of the order. It was really nice doing business with you.

A Tradition of Whimsy

"We have a tradition of whimsy here at Zevo Toys..."

Robin Williams' character is explaining the nature of the company to his boorish Uncle, but he is also describing one of the main reasons I love this movie.

I can't really imagine anyone other than Robin Williams and Joan Cusack in the lead roles (Joan is probably at her most charming here). The only things I would change are the couple of scenes that warrant the PG-13 rating, and then only so I felt more comfortable sharing it with my young neices and nephew.

Fun, thoughtful, and occasionally thought-provoking. This was the perfect time to upgrade to DVD from my old (and well-used) VHS.

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