RATING: C+
Here's yet another movie from 2019 that I would be perfectly okay with if it just didn't exist. I mean, Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to the trilogy. As such, the idea of going back to the well one more time is horrifying on principle. What could they even do? The story is over. There's nothing important left to say in this franchise.
Really, if the Lion King remake didn't come out in the same year, the idea of a Toy Story 4 would be a good contender for the worst movie idea of 2019.
Anyway, here we are again. Probably because money. Hopefully this time for sure being the last time. This new movie's plot is kick-started into gear by Woody and company's new owner Bonnie actually creating a new toy of sorts in Forky -- a spork with pipecleaners and sticks for limbs, and fake eyes attached to it. And it comes to life somehow. One of the toys' first reactions is this from Trixie the triceratops: "I have a question. Actually, I have ALL of the questions!" Indeed, Trixie. Indeed. And that question is one that the movie blatantly has no interest in answering.
But we'll discuss that more shortly. Forky's just one part of this hodgepodge of stuff. Shortly after Forky's creation, Bonnie's family goes on a road trip--and she takes the toys with her. A new adventure ensues when Forky keeps trying to throw himself away because he sees himself as trash, and Woody keeps trying to save him--resulting in a series of events that involves being reunited with Bo Peep (who was missing from the third movie, in case you forgot), and meeting a bunch of new toys--some from one of those scam "win a prize toy" stands at a carnival, others from an antique store.
There is a *lot* to unpack in this movie. Let's start with Forky, since he seems to be the most popular thing about this movie. The idea surrounding him is pretty inventive, and as Woody tries to explain to him his purpose, it does open up some pretty interesting philosophical discussion about what it means to be a toy, "why am I alive," et cetera. Unfortunately, much of this is thrown out of the window after the first act. Regardless, he is still pretty amusing at times--even if the "trash" gag is overdone.
Let's go to Bo Peep's return next. This was one of the starting points for the writers during the making of this movie--which didn't help my already nonexistent enthusiasm about this movie. Bo Peep was never one of the memorable things about the first two movies, and she wasn't really missed in the third movie. The kicker is her complete character transformation into more of an adventurous, almost-action girl. While it's certainly very jarring, it's a transition that ultimately works out fine (though her new view on life as a toy is a different can of worms). What's problematic is how in the opening flashback to Andy's younger days, Bo is bizarrely already more outspoken/a leader in the toy room. Look, if you want to change a character who had basically zero memorable qualities before in your new movie, that's fine. But don't alter how they acted in the movies prior.
But even that doesn't begin to get into the more bothersome side of this movie. This movie almost acts at times as a semi-deconstructing of its predecessors. And it starts almost at the very beginning, when Bonnie--who adored Woody when she found him in TS3--bizarrely ignores him in favor of literally everyone else. I don't feel like Andy gave Woody up to Bonnie so that he could sit literally in a closet.
That might seem picky, but there's more. These films have drilled into us in the past about how a toy's purpose--for them--is to be played with by a child. TS2 possibly delved into this concept the best. But here, Bo Peep suggests that there's more to life for a toy than being a child's plaything. And while part of that new purpose does involve the decently noble pursuit of getting more neglected toys families... well, without giving away spoilers, the film as a result ends up flying in the face of its predecessors. It's like they were trying so hard to present new ground for a toy that they lost sight of the mythos of their own franchise in the process. And thus, while the ending of the third movie basically hit all the right notes (and did a lot of onion cutting as well), this one wants to do the same but instead hits mostly the wrong ones and leaves a sour taste behind.
And I hadn't even gotten into how--aside from Woody, Buzz, and Bo Peep--all of the other original toys are sidelined for most of the movie. Even though Woody and Buzz have always been the centerpieces, the other toys have always played their roles too and been great supporting characters. It's frustrating to see both them and most of Bonnie's other toys that we met in the last movie given such little screen time.
After all of that (and a little more!), it may seem amazing that there's anything positive to say about this movie. But if the ending hadn't gone in such a wrong direction, I could've probably overlooked a lot of the other issues. For one thing, this movie is pretty hilarious at times. A lot of that comes from the new characters. There's Key & Peele's Ducky and Bunny; and while not all of their gags are effective, there is one bit ("plush rush") that's actually a contender for most hilarious moment in the entire franchise--and that's saying something. And then there's Duke Kaboom, and given that he's voiced by Keanu Reeves, he's about as great as you'd expect. (There's even a Keanu "whoa" moment!)
And as previously stated, while there are a lot of questions to be asked regarding the existence of Forky, they can be overlooked because he's funny and it's still an interesting concept. And while I oddly don't have much to say about Gabby Gabby's character, Christina Hendricks does give a very good voice performance for her. And a lot of the other toys do still have a certain charm to them.
Toy Story 4 is fairly enjoyable at least because of its lightheartedness, which never feels forced. There are a lot of laughs to be had, which helps balance out the numerous problems somewhat. Still, it can't help but feel like an entirely unnecessary fourth chapter in this franchise that we didn't need. And the fact that towards its ending it ultimately goes against the general principles of life as a toy that have been established... well, it's hard to not be frustrated by that. More forgiving or casual viewers might overlook a lot of this. But I can't.
