Yep, I’m up for the challenge if you are, Greg.

THE CALL OF THE WILD

Greg, I understand all your concerns with this movie and I share some of them, albeit not to quite the same degree. For me, The Call of the Wild is a good, family-friendly, entertaining movie – assuming you can get over the slightly distracting computerized dogs. I can totally understand the need to use computer dogs. After all, the RDAU (Real Dog Actors Union) has some Reel Teeth, ensuring that Hollywood studies pay celebrity dog actors exorbitant paychecks along the lines of those received by Tom Hanks and The Rock. Thus animation is the way to go, for sure. I just wish the animation didn’t venture so close to creepy uncanny-valley territory.

So yes, our hero is a computer dog named Buck who is just a bit too expressive, intelligent, and perceptive to be convincing as a real dog. But Buck is brimming with heroic qualities, possessing all eight of “The Great Eight Traits’ of heroes: Buck is smart, strong, selfless, reliable, resilient, caring, charismatic, and inspiring. Buck also goes on the classic hero’s journey and transforms into the dog he was always meant to be, a dog in the wild, cohabitating with his own distant wolf relatives.

The ending is a departure from the usual “return home” conclusion of the hero’s journey, but the choice here is bold and appropriate. Buck is far too smart and special to be somebody’s pet. He outgrows the need for humans or for human companionship. Joseph Campbell always said that it was the hero’s imperative to venture into the forest at the darkest place, on a path that no one else has ever taken. Buck does exactly this, and for that reason, this movie works for me big-time.

So I have to give this movie a higher rating than you did, Greg — sorry about that. It tugged on my heartstrings and it featured a fabulous canine hero. For that reason I give the film 4 out of 5 Reels and the full 5 out of 5 Hero points.

JOJO RABBIT

We next turn to JoJo Rabbit, a quirky film that received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture in 2019. This is the tale of a young boy named JoJo who lives in Nazi Germany during the second world war. These are stressful times and JoJo, a Nazi Youth, adopts a quirky version of Adolf Hitler as his best friend. One day the boy discovers a Jewish girl hiding in the wall of their home. The story takes us through JoJo’s transformation from childish naivete to enlightenment.

JoJo Rabbit is dark comedy that does what any good movie should do – depict the capacity of all human beings to transform into “the better angels of their nature”, to quote Abraham Lincoln. Animals in the movie are important symbols. Rabbits, for example, are depicted as beautiful animals, captured, abused, or fleeing from capture. There are also unicorns as mythical creatures, representing human delusion. The film boasts a strong supporting cast, including Sam Rockwell as a tragic figure, forced into supporting the Nazi cause but willing to do the right thing when it counts. Taika Waititi plays the role of Hitler as a racist buffoon, embodying the worst of humanity, who transmits his pain onto others.

Overall, I enjoyed JoJo Rabbit but was surprised when it garnered an Oscar nomination. For me it was a lighthearted foray into World War II that only somewhat exceeded the depths of the 1960s television series, Hogan’s Heroes. The film was entertaining and conveyed a nice message, but I see no need to revisit it any time soon. I can award the film as many as 3 Reels out of 5, and our hero JoJo 3 Hero points out of 5 as well.

Elizabeth Moss officially has my attention. Moss carries this movie singlehandedly, showing the gamut of emotions while expertly traversing the hero’s journey. First, let me comment on the superpower on display here. And by that I mean figuratively on display, as I refer of course to the power of invisibility. The Invisible Man is a story of what happens when a terrible villain gets hold of a superpower. Havoc is wreaked, to say the least. No wonder Stan Lee had to remind us that with great power comes great responsibility. In the wrong hands, great power is a recipe for evil.

The hero’s journey is textbook. At the outset of the movie, our hero Cecilia makes a great escape from her abusive, gaslighting boyfriend. She’s brave but she has a lot of growing to do, and as is the case for many hero journeys, Cecilia’s growth only emerges after terrible suffering. By film’s end, she has transformed from a frightened, insecure woman into a self-confident, brilliant hero. Cecilia actually doesn’t get help from others; she’s pretty much on her own.

So, my dear Gregger, once again I like a movie a lot more than you did. The silly milk-spilling on the invisible dude didn’t bother me as much as it bothered you. Let’s face it, future movie-makers should use a different substance to stick to the I.M. — tar and feathers, perhaps, or maybe Elmer’s glue with sparkly confetti. In any event, this movie was fun and our hero showed tremendous personal growth as a result of her experience. For that reason, I give the film 4 out of 5 Reel and Cecilia 4 out of 5 Hero points.

THE WAY BACK

Greg, The Way Back is a nice reminder that one of the most satisfying variations of the hero’s journey involves the pathway to redemption. My first heroes book came out a decade ago (my how time flies) and my coauthor George Goethals and I devoted an entire chapter to the topic of redemption. Human beings have a deep craving to see people correct a past wrong, mend their ways, and transform into the best version of themselves.

 And here’s what I like about The Way Back – when the credits roll at the movie’s end, Ben Affleck’s character, Jack, hasn’t quite morphed into his best self. He’s still a work in progress. He hasn’t gotten the girl, he hasn’t yet conquered his alcoholism, and he’s still in emotional pain. But, we get hints that he’s headed in the right direction, and so we have a realistic story of pain and healing but not a complete picture of the finished product. I found this lack of closure to be extremely refreshing and realistic.

It’s also great to see a movie that really drives home the point that the effects of good mentorship don’t end just because the mentor is gone. The basketball team has lost its coach but not his influence. We see that Jack’s coaching wisdom and inspiration has stayed with the players and is carrying them into the future without the Jack’s direct help. This is the way powerful and effective mentoring works. We all stand on the shoulders of giants who aren’t there any more, boosting us up and moving us forward with their ongoing influence. I give this movie 4 Reels out of 5, and I award our hero Jack 5 Hero points out of 5.

And now it’s time to hand out our awards, Greg. Which of these four movies deserves to be named Film of the Month, and which of our four heroes deserves to be awarded Hero of the Month? For me, it’s a close call, but I have to go with The Call of the Wild as the film of the month. Usually when a story departs from the classic hero’s journey, there are disastrous results, but in this case, Buck the heroic dog needed to return to a deeper home than the home of the Judge from whence he came. Buck’s home is in the wild, the home of his ancestors. I found this to be a poignant and effective ending to a powerful story.

My hero of the month is Jack in The Way Back. I’ve seen better movies about redemption, about recovering from alcoholism, and about basketball. But somehow this film combines these elements in a most satisfying manner, and Jack’s earnest likeability and resilience are heroic qualities that had me really rooting for him. I hope the filmmakers resist the urge to do a sequel of this story, as Jack’s unfinished transformation was one of the true surprising highlights of his story.