I'm going to be honest; I kind of liked this movie. I, until a few weeks ago, had no idea that this film even existed, I'd only heard the phrase, "Bedtime for Bonzo," uttered by grandparents on a few scattered occasions. But after it was recommended to me, and I began to talk about it, I've realized that countless people of my generation have heard their parents and grandparents speak these words, and have no idea about the movie. So I couldn't resist finding out what the catalyst for this cliché really was.
Which brings me to my second issue in reviewing this film. Where do I come from? Or, rather, what angle? It's been pretty much universally panned by significant critics as well as in member reviews on sites like Netflix, Flixster, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, etc. etc. But how do you write about a movie in which a future U.S. President has kidnapped a monkey from a university in order to impress the dean, who he wishes will become his future father-in-law? One of the key scenes in this film, one where I would say a lot of the meaning is hidden is when The Gipper is up in a tree chasing Bonzo. But Bonzo is much smarter than our 40th president; he has climbed onto the roof, stolen Ronnie's glasses from his bureau drawer and is climbing on the phone wires, after he dials 911. The police and fire department show up and help Ronnie down the tree, and he begins to tell them that he was chasing a monkey with glass and clothes. They don't believe him, obviously, because that's how films work, if everyone agreed and worked together you get 'Batman and Robin,' which we can all agree is no fun to watch. Ah, America. That's all. Didn't thrill you? That's basically how the whole film is. It's got a certain camp appeal, which is definitely working for it. It's really just the notion of watching a president take care of a monkey and treat it like a baby that's so appealing. But the novelty never wears off. Really. I could have watch two more hours of it and not gotten bored. Outside of that camp aspect it's a comedy of values wherein Ronnie learns that the woman he was going for, trying to impress with the monkey stunt, is not for him and that the woman he hired as a nanny for Bonzo is really more his style, more wholesome. There's not much in the way of plot, or interesting shots, or anything really. It's an old studio film. Don't expect too much. But I think if all of America were forced to watch this we may have not allowed the Terminator to become Governor of California. And I won't persecute, that goes for Minnesota and Jesse "The Body" Venture as well. My suggestion after watching this: serialize it. I want a whole series of films where ex-presidents have a live-in week with Bonzo, allow zaniness to ensue, cut and print.
Which brings me to my second issue in reviewing this film. Where do I come from? Or, rather, what angle? It's been pretty much universally panned by significant critics as well as in member reviews on sites like Netflix, Flixster, Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, etc. etc. But how do you write about a movie in which a future U.S. President has kidnapped a monkey from a university in order to impress the dean, who he wishes will become his future father-in-law? One of the key scenes in this film, one where I would say a lot of the meaning is hidden is when The Gipper is up in a tree chasing Bonzo. But Bonzo is much smarter than our 40th president; he has climbed onto the roof, stolen Ronnie's glasses from his bureau drawer and is climbing on the phone wires, after he dials 911. The police and fire department show up and help Ronnie down the tree, and he begins to tell them that he was chasing a monkey with glass and clothes. They don't believe him, obviously, because that's how films work, if everyone agreed and worked together you get 'Batman and Robin,' which we can all agree is no fun to watch. Ah, America. That's all. Didn't thrill you? That's basically how the whole film is. It's got a certain camp appeal, which is definitely working for it. It's really just the notion of watching a president take care of a monkey and treat it like a baby that's so appealing. But the novelty never wears off. Really. I could have watch two more hours of it and not gotten bored. Outside of that camp aspect it's a comedy of values wherein Ronnie learns that the woman he was going for, trying to impress with the monkey stunt, is not for him and that the woman he hired as a nanny for Bonzo is really more his style, more wholesome. There's not much in the way of plot, or interesting shots, or anything really. It's an old studio film. Don't expect too much. But I think if all of America were forced to watch this we may have not allowed the Terminator to become Governor of California. And I won't persecute, that goes for Minnesota and Jesse "The Body" Venture as well. My suggestion after watching this: serialize it. I want a whole series of films where ex-presidents have a live-in week with Bonzo, allow zaniness to ensue, cut and print.