Hahahhaa....How much fun it is to spar with you, smart film partner! It sometimes gets most enjoyable on our blog when we put on the boxing gloves! I chose the picture above because I thought your arguments might possibly be clinging as tentatively to reality as Hugo's hands are to the clock! Just kidding! I said "possibly" because you actually have some very solid points. But I'll argue a bit just he same!
Since you make some excellent points, I must simply embellish them a bit to include another divergent view...mine...haha!
OK, first off, the film's billing. Right, Scorsese did not advertise this as a kiddie film, but usually when the kid is the main protagonist, and there's a hint of whimsy, charm, and fantasy, some of us more gullible adults figure we outta take the kids. After all, looking at the boy hanging from the clock (many of these scenes were in the trailer and picture ads), wouldn't you figure you're not going to see Attilla the Hun?
Mickey Mouse: Yeah, good point on Elmer Fudd and Roadrunner. There is indeed violence in even the meekest kiddie films. And guns. And knives. Yet: When I used to have a choice between watching Roadrunner with my little granddaughters or Mary Poppins, which do you think I chose? I stand rightfully accused, dear colleague, of trying to protect my little girls from the nasty world at large as long as possible.
Next point: Children are smarter and more worldly than we think. True. So True. But oh so sad. Just because our society continues to flaunt its more pedestrian side to kids, is this trend worth following? Case in point: the recent superbowl. We were watching with our girls, enjoying the great American Pastime. Then an ad appears with a slinky young beauty, advertising some product with her curves and sex appeal that made an old guy like me look! Oh my, oh my. Cover the kids' eyes! Just kidding, because I'm very open minded...but why must kids be exposed to this adult behavior just because they are sitting next to grampa enjoying some family fun? You will argue that football is violence par excellence: right you will be, Valerie!
You say: I saw no child abuse here... You were referencing Ben Kingsley's mean character, of course. I saw the opposite. An old man snatches a kid's personal diary and refuses to return it. He threatens the kid with police action if the kid protests. Frankly, if I were standing at the booth next door, I'd intervene and tell the old man to return the notebook....and maybe curl a fist or two to persuade him. I was really put off by that nastiness toward an innocent kid.
Re: Sascha. You say: I did not see dozens of truly mistreated, woeful children... I beg to differ, good friend. He was all-too-Faganlike for me. OK, he was not a really wicked, mean man. But somehow I did not like the idea of him putting kids in his little cage in the back room. I did not forgive the harsh cop at the end, even with the intended redemption. Again, I would cringe in reality at the thought of seeing a child-hunting cop in a train station rounding up waifs and verbally scaring them.
Boy meets girl: OK, I'll give a bit on this point. Yeah, kids like to hold hands when they're buddies. But the girl looked like maybe 13. And the boy around 10. Dunno. A bit weird, quand meme!
You say that adult themes have always invaded the pure world of kids. I would offer the same point as above. True, true. But is it right? Must we just live with it because it has always been done? Quite often, I leave a film dealing with adult topics saying that kids characters should not have been present and added nothing to the film. I agree with you that we sometimes enjoy films less with the kids at our side. Like your friend Pam, I might be more apt to enjoy adult humor sans enfants.
Automatons: I too enjoy the whole theme. As a kid, my mama took me to NYC to put coins in the automats that served food. I still wish we had home robots to do our chores. I would revel in a world with Robin Williams-like machines as our pals and helpers. But: Why was the automaton theme included among so many others in this film? Seemed sort of out of place.
A meandering mess, I said. You said, au contraire! I think we're both right. The darn plot went all over the map but it did indeed focus more towards the end. Truce on this point, ok?
Finally, I found the film dour, you found it uplifting! I say tomaaaato, you say tomaaaaahto!
Thank you for your insightful counter-arguments, dear colleague. I concede several of your points...wishing, all the while, for a more perfect world where I could bury my head like an ostrich and emerge in a utopia where no child ever faces misery!
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