Courtney Howard // Film Critic
SKETCH
Rated PG, 1 hour and 32 minutes
Directed by: Seth Worley
Starring: Bianca Belle, Kue Lawrence, Kalon Cox, Tony Hale, D’Arcy Carden, Allie McCulloch
Simply put, SKETCH is like if Amblin joined with Pixar to make a comedic, heartfelt creature feature. Writer-director Seth Worley has cleverly crafted a hilarious, imaginative, charming and poignant film that places its young protagonists at the forefront of the action, battling against a fleet of animated beasties, as well as the big feelings that accompany grief and growing up. Mixing the cornerstone psychology behind INSIDE OUT where kids are allowed to internalize and express themselves authentically with the adventurous spirit of JURASSIC PARK, THE GOONIES and THE MONSTER SQUAD proves to be a potent combination. It’s a feel-good must-see that’s blessedly unafraid to cut its darker edge humor with whimsical lighter tones. What a glorious treasure.
10-year-old Amber Wyatt (Bianca Belle) is having a tough time. Her mother (Allie McCulloch) has recently passed away. It’s caused the tween to funnel her frustrations over her mom’s death and classmate Bowman’s (Kalon Cox) constant bullying into sketching comically gruesome creations with any and all art supplies available to her. She draws wild monstrosities like a blind, big-mouthed kaiju named “The Blood-Eater,” eight-legged, eyeball-shaped “Iyders” and siren-blaring sunflower “Tattler.” Amber’s elementary school counselor encourages her to use a notebook as a therapeutic tool, jotting down her moody illustrations in a private diary rather than hobbling her burgeoning artistry.
Amber’s harried father Taylor (Tony Hale) and similar-aged sibling Jack (Kue Lawrence) aren’t processing the loss of the family’s matriarch well either. While Taylor has erased all traces of mom inside the home and has listed it for sale with his real estate agent sister Liz (D’Arcy Carden), Jack has seen fit to become the family’s fixer, refereeing conflicts between his sister and others. His desperate wishes for normalcy are answered when he discovers a magic lake in a nearby forest that can mend broken plates (a metaphor) and heal wounds (another metaphor). However, as he goes to dump his mom’s ashes into the lake in an attempt to bring her back to life, he accidentally drops Amber’s notebook in the water, bringing his sister’s macabre monsters to life instead.
In his first feature, Worley, who also edits the picture, achieves a brilliant balance of silly, scary and sad tones. This isn’t just gateway horror for a new generation of youngsters, but a teaching tool to help them deal with their own oppressive anxieties. There are genuinely indelible jokes (like the misunderstood definition of vitals ) that complement the tenderness (like in each and every shared moment between the pairs of siblings, kid and adult). Characters’ internal and external stakes are palpably impressive and immersive, from the Big Action Set Pieces featuring kids using their intellect to either escape or confront their creepy captors to the quieter scenes that emphasize character-building milestones. There’s a snappy, brisk pace to the proceedings, never dwelling too long on any given scene.
The bus sequence where Amber and her classmates elude her kindergarten creation – a ginormous, glitter-shedding, googly-eyed behemoth with rattlesnake fingers named “Dave” – serves up plenty of laughter and tension. Composer Cody Fry, whose film score reverberates in the same key as Alan Silvestri’s collaborations with Steven Spielberg, showcases a hilarious Kenny G parody song (“Prelude to Boundless Longing”) deployed at the exact right moment. It tops SUPER 8’s school bus sequence where the nighttime darkness cloaks that alien and its CGI, whereas this broad daylight attack highlights the cohesively tactile, homemade look and feel of these frightening fiends, whether they’re colored in crayon, chalk, pencil or marker. Visual Effects Supervisor Dan Sturm and his team earn top marks for their work, making us believe in the unbelievable. Plus, its use of a flamethrower is far more punk rock than BALLERINA’s.
The filmmaker never condescends to his audience, whether they’re kids or adults. The picture traffics in earned emotions, garnering our laughter as much as our tears. The symbolism of beating back the darkness, working through grief rather remaining in denial or complacency is powerful. Long-running gags are layered in meaningfully, like the orphan bit and Taylor’s propensity to interrupt potential homebuyer’s tours. Worley, cinematographer Megan Stacey and production designer Madison Braun find evocative beauty in this family’s struggle. Flashbacks are lit with warm, effused lighting contrasting a sobering new reality. The bright colors in their world, particularly used in Amber’s art, give the atmosphere a heightened tone despite the grounded emotions. The wide shot of Taylor and Liz covered in pastel poofs of color, daunted by the forest-like prison of trees is gorgeous.
Performances from the child actors are natural and not over-rehearsed. They prove their mettle as compelling action movie heroes, best showcased in the Iyder extermination sequence, in addition to being pint-sized comedians riffing off a punchline, which Cox does effortlessly, and pathos-driven dramatists, which Belle and Lawrence capably execute as the film’s heart and soul. Hale and Carden share a sweet bond, demonstrating new colors in their craft, not solely giving funny reactions to Amber’s artistry, but also delivering nuance and vulnerability.
SKETCH is one of the best movies of the year, illustrating that family-friendly films don’t have to sacrifice their darker aspects to let the light in.
Grade: A
SKETCH opens in theaters on August 6.
