Dear Mr. Watterson (FILM REVIEW)
Dear Mr. Watterson
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Reverential Retrospective Chronicles Career of Reclusive Comic
Strip Creator
The
comic strip Calvin & Hobbes enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity soon after
first appearing in newspapers on November 18, 1985. Drawn and written by Bill
Watterson, it was voted Best Syndicated Cartoon 7 years in a row over the
course of a decade-long run which also twice netted its talented author the
coveted Cartoonist of the Year award.
The
reclusive Watterson so cherished his privacy that he shied away from the
spotlight despite constant clamor for him to cash in on his success. But he had
no trouble resisting the temptation to license his characters to product
manufacturers ostensibly out of a fear that mass merchandising might cheapen
his comic.
Moreover,
in 1995, Watterson stopped publishing the column on his own terms the day he
decided it was time, and quietly slipped back into obscurity. This was easy to
achieve, since he still lived in tiny Chagrin
Falls, the idyllic Ohio town where he’d been raised from the
age of 6.
Directed
by Joel Allen Schroeder, Dear Mr. Watterson is a reverential retrospective which seeks to
flesh out its inscrutable, impossible to find subject. The film features a
flurry of accolades from colleagues and fans, including the widow of Charles
Schultz, the creator of Peanuts.
Again and again, the contributors roll
out superlatives, uniformly expressing their admiration of the enigmatic Watterson
in glowing detail, whether appraising his rich artwork or deeply philosophical storytelling
which helped shape a whole generation of impressionable young minds. Conspicuous
in his absence, the only person missing from the movie is the Watterson
himself, an inveterate introvert who, of course, didn’t participate in the
project.
Nevertheless, this illuminating
documentary does manage to paint a compelling picture of a modest genius who used
his beloved, kid-friendly cartoon to convey the timeless message that there’s
magic in everyday life, provided you’re young enough at heart to look for it.
Excellent (4
stars)
Unrated
Running time: 90 minutes
Distributor: Gravitas
Ventures
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