Eat

I might have liked this short animation but for the part with the chattering woman. It is a stereotypical representation and reinforces outdated, misogynist conceptions of male-female attributes. Aside from that, the film is colorful and amusing.

Eat (2001)

** (out of 4)

Good tastes has never been mentioned in a Plympton film and that continues with this weird one. The action takes place inside an Italian restaurant where various people show up to eat. I can't say I enjoyed this short because I simply didn't laugh enough but even though the laughs were short I must admit that the entire film is so strange and surreal that it's hard not to recommend it on some levels. The people that show up in the restaurant range from a lonely man who pretends his pasta is a woman, kids fighting and we even get a vomit scene that will have many hitting the stop button on their remotes. Again, I didn't find anything here funny but at the same time there's such a strange atmosphere that you can't help but be somewhat entertained by what you're seeing. There's a certain darkness to the movie that makes it rather original even if you can't enjoy what jokes are here.

While most people who go on IMDb have probably seen a bit of Bill Plympton's strange cartoons (such as with the old car insurance ads from the 1990s and early 2000s), he certainly is not a mainstream animator. His bizarre sense of humor and unique colored pencil look is something I love, but this particular film is harder for the average person to love. It made me laugh out loud repeatedly, while my oldest daughter sat there with her face covered during much of "Eat"--it's certainly NOT a film for all tastes.

The entire film consists of action that occurs inside a restaurant. One guy is lonely and is pretending his pasta is a lady (don't ask), a guy is out with a woman who talks non-stop, some kids start having a fight that goes to AMAZING heights and there is a choking/vomiting scene that will certainly put many off---though I laughed as the guy vomited like a geyser! The entire film is very surreal and strange and is just something you have to see to appreciate...and I did.

E-Gads! that is what we need, a "Womyn's Studies" major from Sarah Lawrence giving her take on a Bill Plympton short. If this one upset you by being politically incorrect, do yourself a favor and don't watch any others, especially the early ones. As for Eat, this was the first Plympton cartoon I've noticed where the animation (especially the backgrounds) was a lot cleaner than usual Plympton fare. It was almost distracting NOT to have "dancing lines" on everything in the frame! Very good plot, and the kids section was very well done. Not one of his best, but still a very entertaining 10 minutes or so.