Are you sure this isn’t a Disney film? Underage heroine … lives in a lighthouse … orphaned fifteen minutes in … a fantastical journey awaits. This is what Disney sells. Constantly. Sometimes this is ALL Disney sells. You even wrangled a superhero actor into the fun … isn’t that Disney’s current side-hustle? I suppose it doesn’t matter who actually tells a Disney tale; the important part is that Netflix gets no credit for a decent original film.
This Nemo isn’t lost. Well, not yet at least. Nemo (Marlow Barkley) is the only child of a single parent. She and her dad (Kyle Chandler) live in and operate a lighthouse. They share a near magical bond. It’s both charming and deep … and makes it all the more heartbreaking when dad opts to help a sailor in trouble and never returns.
Nemo is sent to live with her Uncle Philip (Chris O’Dowd), a citified land-lubber and stranger to all. It’s hard to imagine a world where Philip is at ease, however, he seems to be a pretty good doorknob salesman. Yes, doorknobs … and it’s not just a profession; it’s a passion. And it’s a paradoxically imaginative assignation for a “boring” character. Uncle Philip doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Nemo about anything.
In her sleep, the newly distraught Nemo is visited by a figure who is the exact opposite of Philip, Flip (Jason Momoa), a colorful parade float of a man with passions for thievery and adventure. He will guide Nemo through Slumberland –the place where dreams happen- in exchange for the map
of Slumberland, which Nemo may or may not possess. Why would Nemo go along? For the possibility of seeing her father again.
Slumberland did two things very well – it showed the perspective of a newly orphaned girl in realistic terms. It was neither condescending nor overly dramatic. While I found the acting wanting from time-to-time, I never questioned the motivations of the characters, which is important in a film about people voluntarily going to dreamland to do some gangsta shit. The other thing Slumberland did very well was create a wonder-filled land of dreams. Starting with the bed that walks itself out of the high-rise, marches down the block against traffic and flings itself into the ocean to become a boat, Slumberland is filled with exceptional images and some of the best animation you’ll see in 2022.
OTOH, Slumberland is a fairly adult film for a family fantasy. While the images in the film border on the spectacular, the themes shade towards, “you’re child is going to have questions you won’t want to answer.” It’s hard to say Jason Momoa isn’t a miscast. Clearly, Slumberland is a coup for both he and the film (the film gets a name actor while Jason gets to be notable as not-Aquaman), yet I’m not sure Jason comes off as quite endearing enough to make this story hum. He’s clearly better than Jason Momoa of 10 years ago; perhaps we should be thankful for that. Otherwise, this ride is alternatively whimsical and touching without quite being 100% of either. It’s the kind of film I enjoyed enough to recommend, but kind of wish I enjoyed even more than that. All the elements were present; some worked.
There once was a girl named Nemo
Who encountered trauma supreme-o
To sooth her pained head
She sought raising the dead
It was a reaction intensely extreme-o
Rated PG, 117 Minutes
Director: Francis Lawrence
Writer: David Guion, Michael Handelman
Genre: Non-Disney Disney
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Dreamers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People that don’t even want to see Jason Momoa as Aquaman
