Alicia
I love this movie so much
Raetsonwe
Redundant and unnecessary.
Tobias Burrows
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Matt Kramer
As many reviewers have mentioned, this film suffered the terrible fate of getting lost in distribution, and consequently never even got to take off from the airport. What a shame for such a charming and wonderful adaptation of the children's classic "Wind in the Willows". (Don't be confused by Disney's name change to "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride". . .It is, in fact, "The Wind in the Willows".) The misadventures of Toad (Terry Jones), Rat (Eric Idle), Mole (Steve Coogan), and Badger (Nicol Williamson) remains quite faithful to the novel, particularly in conversations, embellishing parts only to help round out what is essentially a fairly loose plot (if the novel can be said to have much of a plot at all).A real delight of the film rests in the zany antics combined with the images of idyllic turn-of-the-20th-Century England, as well as the wonderfully clever costuming and makeup. Director/Writer Terry Jones goes for an intentionally minimal approach, casting actors who naturally resemble their animal (Idle with his naturally mousey face, Williamson with his badger-like jaw, etc.) and putting only slight touches on them- a tail, a pointy mustache/whiskers, cut-off gloves for Mole's hands. So simple, and yet each character is instantly recognizable. This is a definite British touch that is seldom seen in more obvious American movies where things are less artistic.Yes, Python member Jones recruited his three other comedy mates (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle) to be a part. Although this is not a Monty Python film by any means, there are a few Python-esque touches for die-hard fans- the nonsensical courtroom, for example (where Cleese plays an amusing cameo as Toad's very unhelpful lawyer), and the sudden musical number that breaks out in the middle of the Weasel fight.This is a charming, funny, zany family film that is perfectly suitable for the entire family, with lots of whimsical fun that leaves you feeling good.
loopy_lucy14
A real life interpretation of Wind in the Willows. Wind in the Willows was originally written by Kenneth Grahame in 1908.The Story is based around the self-absorbed Mr. Toad and his friends Rat, Mole and Badger. Toad becomes obsessed with motor cars, but keeps crashing them, and in the end it selling his field to the weasels to pay for more motor cars. So His friends try to help him by keeping him locked up inside until he gets over his obsession but one day he sneaks out when Rat goes down stays to fetch the picnic basket. In the end He gets arrested for stealing a Motor Car, Crashing it and assaulting a police officer. He then gets sent to jail for 100 years. While he is in jail, the weasels plan to blow up Toad Hall, his home. So, Luckily Rat and Mole Come up with a plan to rescue him, but will they get to toad hall in time? This is a great Movie a highly under rated. It is a great movie for all of those fans of Monty Python as it has 4 of the Python's in it, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, John Cleese and Michael Palin. This Movie is rather weird and random and does have the odd funny joke. This movie at time can be rather confusing, but it all joins up in the end. The all comedian cast really brings the characters to life, as well as their over the top costumes do as well. Steve Coogan does a very good job as the timid mole, and at ties it is hard to tell it is him. Terry Jones additionally does a marvelously comical job as the insane and arrogant Mr. Toad. Plus Eric idle does a commendable job as the clever Rat. This is a great Movie for Python fans, and for all ages, but maybe more suitable for the ages 7 to 12 mainly.
JekyllBoote-1
The Monty Python team are the Pink Floyd of comedy; that is to say, they began brilliantly, shattering paradigms, but gradually subsided into lumbering, stodgy self-parody. (In the Floyd's case, compare and contrast the brilliantly fresh and visionary "See Emily Play" with the depressingly self-regarding millionaire's stadium plod-rock of "Comfortably Numb".)The trouble is, many people follow rock bands and comedy teams as blindly as they follow political parties, once their basic loyalties have been established. So it is with the Floyd and the Pythons. Two or three Pythons only have to show up in a film or TV show for unthinking accolades to be heaped on it, regardless of whether, viewed objectively, it is any good or not. The Floyd/Pythons continue to bathe in the referred glory of their earlier, genuine achievements. (In any case, Jones and Idle are the only strong Python presences in the film; Palin (the smuggest of superannuated satirists) must have sleep-walked through his exiguous, undemanding role as The Sun, while it must have taken about thirty seconds for Cleese to complete his economy-size cameo.)As an adaptation of the children's classic, Terry Jones's film is a travesty. Taken on its own terms, it is intermittently entertaining, although it loses focus and becomes excessively silly once Toad has escaped from gaol. I think the film must be viewed in the context of the time it was made. John Major's faltering Conservative regime still just about held sway in Britain in 1995-6 (the time of the film's production), and the Labour Party had been out of power since 1979. The grasping, treacherous, materialistic weasels - who resemble the Blue Meanies from "Yellow Submarine" - are clearly a satire on the greedy entrepreneurs who had taken centre-stage in British public life after the accession of Margaret Thatcher. (We were still naive enough then to hope that Tony Blair's New Labour would rescue us from the weasels, so to speak. But New Labour were just the same old weasels in disguise.)Steve Coogan and Nicol Williamson play their roles with more conviction than the film strictly deserves, while the Pythons simply trade on their fans' brand-loyalty. Pretty Julia Sawalha is fetching as the gaolkeeper's daughter
JeffG.
Although "Wind In the Willows" (released on video here in the US as "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride") is marketed as a kid's film, Monty Python fans are likely to get more out of it. The movie features Terry Jones (who wrote and directed it as well), Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and John Cleese (in a brilliant cameo as Toad's lawyer). Too bad they couldn't get Terry Gilliam on this project. The movie tells the famous children's story with the unique silliness, British humor and over-the-top delivery that we've come to expect from the Python troupe. This is a movie that can not only be enjoyed by kids, but adults as well. Especially if they're Python fans. It won't replace your prized copy of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," but it's well-worth checking out. It's a crime that the studio did little to promote this film.
