Get a Job

Hello, there. The other day, I was browsing around the internet, and I noticed a box with this movie in it- so I clicked on it. It was a bizarre trip through insanity. Afterwards, I looked through its Wikipedia page- which, like most short independent films- only had a few lines of text-and I learned that it took SEVEN YEARS to produce this short 10 minutes of mildly amusing animation. That's pretty ironic for a film which stresses the importance of productivity. I can just imagine the creator of this mess, leaned over his drawing board like a madman, sketching every single frame, one by one- nice to know that he made a lot of effort, but it took SEVEN YEARS to produce. And it was not worth it.

There are better things one could produce in seven years. It's a good film, don't get me wrong, but if you're going to take seven years on something, and it only turns out to be ten minutes, you have to make sure that those ten minutes are the best they possibly could be. I don't think these ten minutes reached their full potential. Still, a nice cartoon, with some real heart behind it. Definitely better than any other modern cartoon- Spongebob or something- more refined, more intellectual, but it could be quite honestly used to prove that those folks up in Canada are off their rocker.

It would be foolish to ignore the blatant fact that the thing is really only a well disguised piece of capitalist propaganda, demanding that the individual fit into society, and making the process of labor seem simple, ignoring the bureaucratic processes and legal technicalities inherent in acquiring even the most simple of jobs. I'm shocked that not one scene in the whole thing showed the main character filling out hundreds of forms and providing thousands of I.D.'s and so on- that could have been well played up for comedic effect- or perhaps getting a job was simpler in 1980s Canada. I suppose I'll never know.

The film's style of animation is incredibly refreshing- it makes it fun to sit through- but it shows how far behind Canada is in terms of the times- this is a 1950s style cartoon made in 1985- but it mimics the style pretty darn well. I could take it as coming from the pen of Tex Avery himself. One thing I might point out, though, is that the characters look a bit bizarre- The main character's nose is ONE THIRD the size of his head- and the Latin Salsa dancer's hips are tiny- she doesn't seem to have any legs whatsoever- but otherwise the character design remains very consistent and well thought out.

It's a good cartoon. The music, in particular, is good- they must have hired some good singers for this- and the lyrics rhyme well. This is a flurry of nostalgia- quaint, humorous, and oddball- not worth watching all the time, but if you have an interest in good animation- not that stupid Pixar stuff- real old-timey animation. It should have been longer, really- ten minutes is all too short a period to make a good story- but still a good effort. six out of ten. Maybe six and a half.

This "F I L M" if you can "C A L L" it one, is nothing short of "W A C K". I have never before felt that any ten minute period of my life was more of a waste; including a failed hysterectomy, and listening to Sarah Palin talk politics. (Dang Canadians). The animation was cringey, and there is some smack dab plain ole racism in it. 1 star out of 10.

This is sufficiently amusing overall I guess. Its colorful and rhythmic anyway. But it has one device in it that I want to point out. It makes it worth the couple minutes it will take.

Our poor sap needs a job, the situation being circumlocuted. One node in this is us watching our sap which he watches himself on TeeVee. Ted's law applies, in that what's on the tube is as remote from him as he is from us.

In this regard, at least we see that the animator is a lucid artist and worth paying attention to.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Funny Disney-like animated short film from the National Film Board of Canada. Bob the Dog is looking for a job. And in this short, that stressful quest is exaggerated. We go through the whole process: phone calls, resumes, interviews, waiting by the phone for THE call, etc. It might not be too profound, but this short actually contain some sort of commentary on the situation of the unemployed. And while looking for a job, you need to be confident. But don't over do it! Great Motown music makes this short even more enjoyable to watch. At just over 10 minutes long, you can't go wrong.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on January 1st, 2005.

88/100 (***½)

GET A JOB is a very, very strange film and it's hard to put into words exactly what I thought of it and why. It's just one of those films that you need to see to appreciate.

The film starts with a music video of sorts with hand-drawn animation that looks a lot like an underground film--but higher quality. Then, following the old song "Get a Job", you follow a poor sap's unproductive day of job searching. Again and again, he blows the interviews and it's very funny to watch this poor shmoe mess up or have insane prospective bosses interviewing him. In the end, there's an excellent zinger to tie it all together.

In many ways, GET A JOB reminds me of the wonderfully subversive Mighty Mouse series from the mid-1980s ("Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures")--with very fluid animation and a crazy spirit. This is quite a complement since this series was ground-breaking and seemed to help lead to a renaissance in animation.