Toys (1992)

IMDb plot summary: When Lieutenant General Leland Zevo (Sir Michael Gambon) inherits a toymaking company and begins making war toys, his employees band together to stop him before he ruins the name of Zevo Toys forever.

Directed by Barry Levinson. Starring Robin Williams, Michael Gambon, Joan Cusack, and Robin Wright.

This is an exceptionally odd movie. There are so many things that I think are meant to be whimsical or fun but are instead pretty terrifying. For example, there's a song about happy workers played in the factory early on that I think might be trying to convey a "Whistle While You Work" joviality but instead just creeps me out. The song later gets remixed as a dark electronic version as the new owner takes over, but that one isn't any creepier to me! I had trouble finding my footing in the film's humor, as well, I couldn't quite figure out how much of a manchild Robin Williams was supposed to be and couldn't get a handle on Joan Cusack at ALL (though the final few scenes with her helped). It has some good adventure sequences toward the end, but as a whole this aesthetic mostly misses me.

How it entered my Flickchart:

Toys < Raising Cain

Toys < Deceived

Toys > Jules and Jim

Toys > Brokeback Mountain

Toys > One 2 Ka 4

Toys < Get Smart

Toys < X2

Toys < Beaches

Toys > Throw Momma from the Train

Toys < Quitting

Toys < Howl's Moving Castle

Toys > Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You?

Final spot: #2614 out of 3356, or 22%.