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Monday, May 11, 2020

The Willoughby's (2020)

This is a movie about the family you choose.
The biological family at the center of the movie is not a happy one. Father and Mother  love each other very much, but that affection does not extend to their children, who they see as a burden and a nuisance.  Their kids, Tim, Jane, and twins both named Barnaby, the impication being that their parents didn’t care to think of a fourth name, tip toe around them, but to no avail because they are frequently punished and often unfed. A Cheshire-like blue cat fulfills the role of narrator and sometimes pet, talking only to the audience in his signature droll tone.
After much neglect, the Willoughby children decide to send their parents away on a dangerous trip that would hopefully leave them orphaned. Luckily for the young Willoughbys, their parents hired a sweet-natured nanny named Linda, who is what a parent should be.  She and a kindly but intimidating Willy Wonka-esque candymaker named Commander Melanoff work with them to form a new family.  This is good but not great, and thoroughly enjoyable pandemic viewing.

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