Monkeybone

An unfortunate blend of "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Cool World," this film seems to have been invented from the cutting room floor. The plot is ill-conceived and fully un-funny. Brendan Fraser (and I like him typically) is hopelessly miscast and direction-free. Poor beautiful Bridget Fonda will hope this movie is quietly forgotten. And Whoopi should know better by now. There is no redeeming performance in this movie. It is an utter waste of celluloid not fit for kid or adult. I don't know who the target audience was supposed to be. It isn't tame enough for children's fare, mod enough for teen fare, or clever enough for adults. Skip it.

SPOLIERS??) I really mean this. Also if your reviewing this movie gave a great review, then your kinda slanted. I loved the movie after watching the deleted scenes. My thought was that this movie was too short. It didn't have to be. The editing on this movie was so horrible, that they decided to include the deleted scene's on the dvd. Basically the dvd show how much more obvious an idiot the director was. Deleting scene's that were necessary to the story so we could understand what's going on. I only feel he was rushed. Because he really couldn't come up as to why they were deleted. We can't say he was short on cash either. The scene's were shot. And what up with the censored blurs on the deleted scene's? He doesn't explain that either. If this movie had come out in it's entirety, I'd give it a 7. But as it stands with those scene's taken out. It's at a measly 4/10. All I can say to the director is "Stand up and take a flipping chance man!!!!" 4/10 Quality: 1/10 (bad editing) Entertainment: 8/10 (with the deleted scene's) Replayable: 9/10 (DVD only) 2/10 (VHS)

This movie lacked everything. A real poor script, a guy who gets in a coma. A monkey takes his body and screws around. And in a true Hollywood tradition the guy gets its body back to mary and live happily ever after. YUCK. I wished it was worse so it could become cult. But it wasn't. :( The only positive thing about it where some special effects. But even thís wasn't great. For instance most of the laughs in the full theater were the laughs from the special effect tapes. It simply is a poor, poor, poor movie. Sorry crew better luck next time.

Monkeybone is a stupid wacky comedy twist love story with a cartoonist who is put into a coma and his creation of a cartoon monkey possess his body and plans to drug the world of nightmares for ghouls in mystical lands to enjoy for all eternity. Now this comedy is flat out lame, nothing cool here. Brendan Fraiser as cartoonist Stu Miley was embarrassing and Cris Katan as the possessed corpse was low. The monkey looks like clay, clay animation, but he's nothing but a perverted primate. The mystical creatures look like rubber costumes with people underneath them. The love interest is a whine bag and the sister of Stu was a total jerk wanting to kill her brother in a coma. Whoopi Goldberg is mildly amusing as Death but she gets boring along with her pet pug. The only funny cast member is the guy playing Stephen King, he got a laugh out of me. Yes that's only one laugh out of the whole film! Now the story is stupid and cheesy. The special affects are horrible, not even good enough for the Sci Fi channel. No good jokes except for a few good one liners. "We don't want to hurt you we just want your organs!" Now skip this film, it's an order! Stupid film, bad cast, horrid affects, lame acting, and what the heck was with the directing? Monkeybone gets the 1 out of 10, lame-o. Skip this one at command, it reeks. You won't regret it for sure.

OK, I couldn't just sit back and let these bad reviews tarnish this movie and perhaps keep someone from watching it. I can't even begin to describe Monkeybone and how it makes me feel and where it takes me when I watch it. I own it on DVD and have bought several copies for others. I have watched this movie countless times and literally see something new each time. You are supposed to feel anxious and uneasy, that is kind of the whole point of the movie! Stu is lost in a nightmare and trapped with all of the things we imagine in a dreamworld. It really isn't that disturbing and both my son and my niece hold this movie very close to their hearts. You see, instead of Barney or the like they wanted Monkeybone over and over. And anyone who thinks kids shouldn't watch it needs to lighten up.(Someone actually thought the opening sequence about a kid getting an erection over his teachers arm fat was too inappropriate to mention. My god, I am glad they weren't my parent is all I can say!) I loved these kinds of movies when I was a kid and that is probably why love it so much. I think all the actors are hilarious and do a great job pulling off their roles; Chris Kattan gets me every time!

MONKEYBONE is a movie with a bizarre title ( I thought perhaps this might have been a sequel to Michael Jackson's MOONWALKER ! ) which would crop up quite often on Sky Movies . Strangely it would usually be broadcast about 10pm at night and after finally seeing the movie I'm still perplexed as to what audience the movie was made for since I could imagine this would have appealed for a family audience . Okay the basic premise is rather dark with Stu falling into a coma but you can imagine children would have enjoyed this when the cartoonist finds himself in a dimension surrounded by his creations : " Mommy , I know why she's called Kitty because she's really a cat . Mommy look at all these funny cartoon people " But as the story continues you find yourself questioning its suitability to a family audience " Mommy you can see the naked man's bottom . Mommy why is the man having his insides taken out ? Mommy why are you taking my hand and leading me out of the cinema ? " The problem with this surreal comedy is that it's too surreal and won't appeal to anyone very much . Both adults and children will find the content just a little too crazy to appeal to both camps . Whatever MONKEYBONE is trying to be it's not a family film

I loved this movie! Than again, ANY movie with BF is good. This is a great movie with a DARK OVERTONE. It was very much like BEETLEJUICE in terms of it's daring plot. I love the scenes where that one corpse is throwing body parts. It was a good movie and great for a Friday night if you have no other plans. I suggest you see MONKEY BONE!

I recently saw "Monkeybone" and, despite the critics' HORRIBLE reviews of it, I liked it very much. Brendan Fraser was brilliant, as always. And Bridget Fonda, though her character was a bit empty, was also good. The supporting roles included Dave Foley as Herb, Megan Mullally as Stu's sister, Chris Kattan as Stu's "body", and Whoopi Goldberg as Death. I really thought that the best role was played by Dave Foley. He was in the film more frequently than you would expect him to be, and he adds a certain "comfortable" feeling to the film. His character is witty, and helps to make the movie what it is. Mr. Foley and Mr. Fraser have worked together before (Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, Blast From the Past) and the results are always hilarious. Megan Mullally and Whoopi Goldberg have rather small roles. Perhaps too small, considering what good actresses they are. Chris Kattan had a "take it or leave it" part. He basically just did a lot of fancy stunts and tricks. Even though the movie is based on a cartoon character, Monkeybone, this is not a movie for children. There is a lot of crude or "potty" humor in the film, and there is also a scene in which Herb (Dave Foley) runs naked through a crowded museum. Here's my opinion: stop listening to what critics have to say, and go see Monkeybone! You won't be disappointed.

MONKEYBONE / (2001) *** (out of four) By Blake French: "Monkeybone" takes us on an energetic and lively roller-coaster ride through the bizarre mind of a troubled cartoonist trapped inside a nightmare of his vary own imagination. The film is somewhat bad in its storytelling ability, but the filmmaking and creative juices save this otherwise preposterous picture. Henry Selick, the genius behind similar movies like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach," once again uses a variety of eye-popping, indulgent gimmickry to provide a delight for the senses. Model puppets, elaborate set designs, computer animation, stop-action photography, claymation, convincing and complex makeup, far out costumes and even some nifty voice effects preside the entertainment of "Monkey Bone." Selick creates a world so full of energy and inventive characters that it justifies the movie's existence. Brendan Fraser makes another fool of himself as Stu Miley, a modest cartoonist who finally achieves success and does not know what to do with it. His long time girlfriend, Julie (Bridget Fonda), comforts, loves him and is ecstatic when Stu's cartoon primate creation, Monkeybone, a wisecracking and obscene libido portraiture, becomes a national television show. His manager wants to market the franchise big time, but Stu wants his simple life to stay simple with one major change: he wants to marry Julie. Before he has a chance to propose, a car accident leaves Stu in a coma and his spirit plunged into a weird, subconscious world called Downtown, a waiting place while a person is between life and death. The carnival-like realm inhabits a variety of unusual characters, like Kitty (Rose McGowan from "Jawbreaker") an attractive waitress dressed in a feline furnish, Hypnos (Giancarlo Esposito) the half-man, half-goat ruler of Downtown, Death (Whoopi Goldberg) the cynical head honcho who determines the visitor's fate, and even the concoction of his own imagination-the aggravating nuisance himself: Monkeybone (voiced by John Turturro). Back on planet earth, Julie struggles to keep Stu's fanatic sister (Megan Mullally) from pulling his plug. Stu conceives a plan to escape Downtown by stealing an exit pass from none other than Death herself. He tries, gets the pass, but Monkeybone betrays his crafty creator and takes it for himself. Now inhabiting the body of Stu, Monkeybone is free to wreak havoc on Stu's lifestyle. While Stu himself possesses the body of a dead gymnast (Chris Kattan from "House on Haunted Hill") to save what is left of his relationship with Julie. The scenes depicting Stu's nightmare reality are absolutely extraordinary. The artful sets, special effects, costumes, animation, and makeup are some of the most intricate and tasty examples of effective eye-candy. It's like we've entered an imaginative dreamscape of zany and entertaining characters. Everyone involved feels alive and inexhaustible, especially Brendan Fraser in a very effective performance. Monkeybone himself is quite annoying-but in a fun kind of way. The involving and fresh atmosphere make this world a memorable movie experience. There are several hilarious sequences, one involving a dog's nightmare where several of his feline nemeses secure him and prepare to detach his manhood, and another when a walking organ donor loses his guts during a fight sequence. By now you are probably realizing, despite the cartoon qualities, this movie is not intended for small children. "Monkeybone" contains all sorts of sexual innuendoes, horrific concepts, and suggestive situations. During the screening I attended, a woman instructed her three young children to leave the theater. However, the movie is clearly too goofy and comical for serious, mature audiences-so what is the target audience? "Monkeybone" provides enough positives to outweigh the negatives. The production is worth a watch to experience some of the dazzling images-but I would not see it again for free.

Let's face it...Monkeybone is definitely not the greatest movie ever made, but it has it's points. Stu's visit to "Downtown" while in his coma has some truly startling special effects and puppetry...there are many images and icons from popular culture that are transposed here with great comedic and nightmarish effect. The sequence in which Stu goes into the surrealist painting he himself made has an unsettling quality to it that I usually only feel with Dali or Bunuel. Brendan Fraser is very adequate in this movie, and Chris Kattan's appearance was quite welcome, but Bridget Fonda's prodigious acting talents are wasted here.