There are monsters in all our closets
Movie matchup no. 10
This is kind of a funny matchup because in both cases, my opinion of the movie has changed a bit over time.
With Garden State, I remember being so enraptured by it after my first viewing. But having rewatched it recently, I can say I have cooled on it slightly. I still think it’s really great, but there are a few notable flaws, which I’ll get into a bit later.
It’s a little opposite for Monsters, Inc. I remember liking it growing up, but watching it as an adult has really made me love it. I’m doing a Pixar filmography rewatch right now, and I’m excited to do this one again even though my oldest son recently had a phase where he watched this like every day. Even without having rewatched the other Pixar films, I’m pretty sure this one will remain top five for me.
Anyway, I think they’re both good movies with plenty of good stuff between them, from a really great soundtrack to a snow-cone-peddling Yeti.
Summaries
Garden State
Andrew Largeman is a semi-successful television actor who plays an intellectually disabled quarterback. His somewhat controlling and psychiatrist father has led Andrew (“Large”) to believe that his mother’s wheelchair-bound life was his fault. Andrew decides to lay off the drugs that his father and his doctor made him believe that he needed, and began to see life for what it is. He began to feel the pain he had longed for, and began to have a genuine relationship with a girl who had some problems of her own. — MichaelAGodfrey@aol.com
Monsters, Inc.
In a world behind our closet doors, monsters reign supreme. The utility company Monsters Inc. specializes in fueling their world with the screams of human children. A team of monster scarers led by lovable Sulley and his wisecracking best friend Mike work hard and long hours to ensure the fuel of the screams. But things go crazy when Sulley discovers a mysterious door and a runaway little girl running amok. However, both Sulley and Mike discover that the little girl (Boo) is not actually dangerous, so they must bring her home to the human world. But what the duo doesn’t know is that Boo is actually the key to a sinister conspiracy to saving the monster world from a rising crisis. — Blazer346
The MPDG
I can’t talk about Garden State without bringing up its fatal flaw: the manic pixie dream girl (MPDG). So let’s just get that over with up front.
According to Alyssa Maio, these are the core characteristics of an MPDG:
- Fantasy woman who saves the male protagonist from himself
- Depicted as whimsical, quirky, sometimes eccentric
- Aides the male protagonist without showing any agency of her own
- Vivacious character whose sole purpose is to teach the male protagonist that life is worth embracing
And then Nathan Rabin, who first coined this term, said this of the MPDG:
“[She] exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.”
Unfortunately, though well-meaning I’m sure he was, Zach Braff wrote a quintessential MPDG into Garden State. Natalie Portman’s character, Sam Feehan, may have some interesting attributes—mostly quirky, eccentric ones—but she only exists to help Braff’s character, Andrew “Large” Largeman. It’s only when he meets her that he feels something again and decides that life is worth living.
And yeah, it’s obviously okay for two people in love to make each other happy. That’s the hope probably a lot of people have in life. But I think the issue is that Sam Feehan’s sole purpose for existing, apparently, is to make Large happy, and her purpose doesn’t extend beyond that. Which isn’t great.
So while that’s all nice for him, it kind of leaves Sam out in the cold. She feels very shallow, almost like she doesn’t exist outside of Large’s reality.
I think the most telling moment that drives the MPDG point home comes at the end, when Large is going to fly back to LA and fix some things in his life before coming back to Sam and working on their relationship. He leaves, and she’s left alone in a phone booth, crying.
And the question is, what on earth is Sam going to do while Large is out in LA? Just sit around and wait for him? Pine for him? Keep crying about her dead hamster? Work on not lying?
She barely feels real in this moment. And yeah, Large decides not to go back to LA and stay with Sam instead, but that just kind of makes it worse. Apparently, Sam is nobody without Large.
Which is too bad, considering how great an actress Natalie Portman is. And like I said about Liv Tyler, all actors deserve to have well-written characters.
The toddler gets it right
What’s interesting is that Boo from Monsters, Inc. is also a quirky, eccentric little gal who waltzes into Sulley’s life and turns everything upside down. But what’s so different about Boo is that she couldn’t really care less about Sulley (at least at first), and she has real development as a character.
I think the main difference is that she does have her own agency. The entire story is a result of her main choice to sneak out of her bedroom and through the closet door into the monster world. And then pretty much every plot after that stems from other choices she makes, running and exploring this bright new world around her.
She has all the fears and anxieties a toddler might have. She has a whole world outside of Sulley’s that, while distant, is still very real to her, and she does want to get back. Because when she finally does get to her room, she’s beyond thrilled. And even though she’s sad that she has to say goodbye to Sulley, it’s understood between both of them that that’s where she belongs.
Most of all, she goes through a meaningful transformation. She starts out afraid of monsters, especially Randall. But her turning moment comes when she sees Sulley in danger and she decides to confront Randall to save her kitty. After that encounter, Sulley remarks to Randall, “She’s not scared of you anymore” as Boo lets out a triumphant roar.
The bathroom scenes
Randomly, both these films feature some pretty great scenes that take place in a bathroom. So that’s fun!
I’ve been liking having one “who did it better” section in these, so I’ll keep it going with this.
The tub
Garden State’s bathroom scene is a quiet, touching, intimate one, as Sam and Large are sitting in an empty bathtub as Large talks about a really tender moment he remembers about his recently deceased mom.
It’s a long take, slowly zooming into the couple as they sit and share this moment. This decision really helps us feel the gravity of it all, making the moment sink in. Zach Braff does a great job on the delivery, and it all feels sincere and genuine. Probably because it came from his heart. After all, Garden State is highly autobiographical, so it makes sense that Braff would be feeling some pretty intense emotions at this point.
There’s really not much more to say. It’s honestly one of the best parts of the movie, mostly because it’s one of the few clear windows we get into Large’s life and what’s going on in his head. While we do of course get glimpses into it all, I feel like we don’t a ton of moments like this where he just opens up so freely and is so vulnerable.
Although I stop short of calling Zach Braff a truly great director, this is one moment I think he really nailed.
The toilet
On the other hand, Monsters, Inc. has one of the funniest bathroom scenes ever, and it features the only acceptable type of potty humor.
Mike and Sulley have successfully managed to sneak Boo into Monsters, Inc. headquarters, and they end up in the men’s locker room. At this point, Boo needs to go to the bathroom, which sets up a pretty hilarious bit where Sulley just has no idea how to handle this toddler, singing while she’s on the toilet.
But honestly I think the best part is when the toilet flushes and Sulley thinks she got flushed down at the same time.
Anyway, besides just being a funny scene, it also shows how little Sulley really knows about kids. He’s totally unsure of how to handle her, and it’s made extra fun because he’s supposed to be this big tough guy who’s not afraid of anything but is so in over his head in this moment. And then it’s sweet because right after that, he and Boo play for a bit and it’s just super cute.
And again, it’s a much classier brand of potty humor than you’d normally see in a kids movie, which I really appreciate. No farts or anything, just the thought of a toddler getting flushed down a toilet.
So which scene takes the cake?
It’s another close one, and even though Garden State’s is a really incredible moment, I think I do have to go with the Monsters, Inc. bathroom escapade because it manages to use such a silly setting to span a wide range of emotions in a pretty short time.
All the feels
Finally, both these films manage to pull at the heartstrings, and in so many different ways.
Garden State goes heavy into grief, pain, regret, and reflection. Most of the story centers on Andrew working through these emotions and battling the creeping depression that threatens to overwhelm him.
Sam comes along and saves the day, helping him see the beauty in the world and in life itself. She brings a fresh, lively perspective to his and ultimately helps him work through his grief in his own way. And although their relationship isn’t all that realistic for a film that’s meant to be realistic, there is a stellar moment that they share in the third act of the movie.
It’s the release. The moment when Large has finally managed to reach a moment of acceptance.
Check it out:
Simon and Garfunkel help bring it all home for us, and even with its MPDG undertones, that moment that Sam and Large share is touching. It’s kind of the first time in the whole movie that Large finally feels happy, and it’s a really great tonal shift for the film. He’s come to terms with everything and is ready to get his life in order, all while working on the relationships that matter most to him.
Meanwhile, Monsters, Inc. dives more into the complexities of relationships and the bonds we form, sometimes with people we least expect.
The adventures and the hijinks take a back seat to the attachment that Sulley and Boo form with each other. In the beginning, he’s terrified of her, due to the strange belief that children are toxic. And she is understandably wary of monsters because, well, they’re scary and she’s like 3 or something.
So it’s just a treat to watch them slowly start to grow closer, earning each other’s trust to the point that Boo feels safe with Sulley, and he’s willing to do anything to keep her that way.
And then just that ENDING!
Tears. Always tears. It’s a bond that can’t be broken by time or distance. Their goodbye is heartbreaking, but the reunion right as the movie ends is somehow an even bigger tearjerker.
One of Pixar’s best for sure.
Facing fears
Per my very creative title, I think the common theme between these films is that they both show characters dealing with deep-seated fears. Large has to tackle grief and face the fear of losing a loved one, while Boo has to overcome her fear of monsters and Sulley has to overcome his fear of children.
Whether it’s something intangible like depression or anxiety, or something tangible like starting a new job or flying, we all have to face scary things in our lives. I think the hope of films like these is that they’ll at least help us get started on our way to facing down those fears and overcoming them in the best way of each of us.
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