Timothy Hutton in The Last Mimzy
Whimsical Movie Also Stars Joely Richardson
A review of the ambitious film The Last Mimzy.
The Last Mimzy, produced by New Line Cinema, is truly a movie for all ages. Both intelligent and whimsical, the plot captures the viewers’ attention early on and doesn’t let go till the very end. The film is based loosely on Lewis Padgett’s (pseudonym for husband and wife writing team, Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore) short story, Mimsy Were the Borogoves. The movie’s tag line is that ‘the future is trying to tell us something,’ with quasi-Buddhist references and warnings of ecological destruction, it’s clear the filmmakers also had a message to convey.
While at their vacation home off the coast of Seattle, the Wilder siblings, Emma and Noah, played by newcomers Rhiannon Leigh Wryn and Chris O’Neil, make a startling discovery. They come across a box unlike any other, holding treasures beyond their imaginations. One such treasure is a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy. The ‘toys’ soon enthrall the children and begin to increase their intelligence drastically, especially Emma’s. We soon discover that Mimzy is a traveler not of the children’s time who seeks their help. The movie unfolds as the family, parents played by Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson, tries to make sense of what the children have discovered. Supporting characters include the always hilarious Rainn Wilson (The Office) as Noah’s neo-hippie science teacher and his girlfriend comedic actress Kathryn Hahn.
The film is told through a flashback from the distant future, one that is desperately trying to survive. After years of genetic modification and both environmental and cultural ‘pollution,’ humans are forced to hide themselves in protective suits, giving them the appearance of stereotypical aliens. In a last ditch effort to restore balance, scientists send Mimzys; part organic part machine, back into the past to seek help. Emma and Noah are not the first finders of a Mimzy, Alice Liddell of Alice in Wonderland fame, is another, which is the first reference of many to Lewis Carroll’s famous story. Emma eventually has to peek into the ‘looking glass’ and send her friend through the rabbit hole. At the end of the film we return to the future on a much more positive note. Nirvana on earth has been reached, enlightenment reigns due to the help of the innocent children of the past.
On an interesting note Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd, wrote a song exclusively for the film, Hello (I Love You). The song itself is basically a quick summation of the movie and in turn the movie contains several references to Pink Floyd. One hand washes the other. Waters, himself is great symbol for the film, a man used to opening his mind and never afraid to push a few boundaries. All in all the film is well told and thought provoking. At times the plot does feel weighted down by perhaps too ambitious of a plot and lackluster lines; however the strength of the underlying story carries the film.
3.5 stars out of 5
