American Pop

I haven't seen this movie since it came out nearly two decades ago and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. Perhaps being a member of the clan that the movie depicts gives it special meaning for me. The strand connecting the chants of the ghetto synagogue, through early jazz, sixties ballads and finally hard rock rang true to this unsophisticated viewer. Perhaps the characters where often cliches and the symbolism hackneyed- but so what. This is the shorthand of our culture and these iconic elements were used with wit, charm and taste. Animation in this film is truly an artistic medium. The memory of the final scene, where generations of suffering are vindicated in the roar of acclaim for the rock singer descendent, still brings a chill to my spine.

The narrative of this Bakshi animated film follows the showbiz aspirations of a Jewish émigré family through four generations (from turn-of-the-century to the present, i.e. early 1980s), taking in the various turbulent world events and reflecting the often radical changes in culture which occurred during all this time.

An ambitious if heavy-handed undertaking (Bakshi's trademark realism, displayed through rotoscoped animation, occasionally interspersed with stock footage) which is patchy overall but frequently impressive - and undeniably evocative. The necessarily eclectic soundtrack, too, is a major asset even if the last half does lean too heavily on the the hippie/rock scene; it's also amusing how the script presents the band which the protagonist eventually forms part of as the talent behind many of the best-known rock songs from the era by the likes of Big Brother And The Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Sex Pistols and even my own favorite, The Velvet Underground!!

What a genuinely interesting and touching film. The rotoscoped animation may not be everyone's cup of tea but it works just fine here. I honestly think it's use was a big plus as it gives this human story a human, life like quality.

If this was done today it would be slopping over with re-do tunes by current pop nobodies to jam onto a "music from and inspired by" CD not to mention it would be poorly cast with Hollywood no talents.

The casting here doesn't leave you straining to identify celebs, it just has good actors portraying good characters. You focus on the story of the family, which after all is the point.

Underrated and very much worth your time.

A story that transcends through the generations of a family. Starting in the "roaring" '20's the movie begins with the life of an immigrant boy and carries the viewer through a tapestry of jazz, swing, blues, classic rock, and early 80's rock. A completely different look than previous or later Bakshi works, but with the same quality. A must see if you want to forget you're watching an animated movie.

This film was one that I was reluctant to see at first when it came out on video in the mid 90's. I eventually saw it and it interested me in many ways. The concept of a newly American family transcending through the century by ways of musical pop culture is an innovative idea. The main fault in the film resides on the fact that the filmmaker had somewhat misguided judgements on what exactly pop music and history was in the era that he was depicting. Apart from that I found the dialogue not condescending and the actor's voiceovers quite convincing. The verbal exchange between the character of Tony and the blonde was one of the most authentically written love scenes I have ever encountered in a movie. It was interesting to see the tortured characters succumb to weaknesses and eventually prevail at the end, however unrealistic it may have been represented. Some viewers of this film complain of the chopping rotoscoping used in it, but I found it refreshing seeing through the film to it's eventual endeavor by use of the actor's faces along with their voices. The grittiness of the film was more enjoyable to me. It showcased a lot of underrated talents of actors whose careers never took off such as Jeffrey Lippa and Lisa Jane Persky, among many others. It is often sad how talented represented actors get pushed aside the a world of notoriety. The most identifiable to me was Ron Thompson in the voice of Tony and Pete. I wish that I had seen him in so many other films. His verbal performance was enough to convince me that he was accomplished otherwise as an actor. I think that this film could have been a bit better if it were less presumptuous of the musical mainstream that carried the story through, but eventually it was entertaining. Though this film was not well known and a bit misguided I recommend viewing it at least once.