Luca (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Enrico Casarosa
Written by: Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Maya Rudolph, Marco Barricelli, Jim Gaffigan, Sandy Martin
Runtime: min
Synopsis: Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Pixar tells a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto (voice of Jack Dylan Grazer), but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water's surface.
Pixar is arguably one of the best studios out there. From their incredible consistency in delivering emotionally powerful films to their impact in the animation industry, it's hard to find someone who genuinely dislikes a third of their movies, let alone most or all of them. For me, it became one of the rare studios from which I always add their films to my year's watchlist, independently of who directs, writes, or stars. Having in mind that the only movies I didn't connect with come from the Cars saga, I was obviously excited for Luca, a film set on the Italian Riviera during summer. With a first-time director, Enrico Casarosa, and a relatively unknown duo of screenwriters - Jesse Andrews, Mike Jones - I didn't expect much more than having a good time.
And a good time I had! First of all, let's get the obvious out of the way: the entire movie looks stunning. The Italian coast is depicted beautifully with the blend of 2D and 3D animation, which offer tremendous visual detail. The town of Portorosso features gorgeous backgrounds, especially the traditional houses drawn by hand. From the first second the viewers get out of the water and set foot on land, the colorful world fills up the screen, as does Dan Romer's memorable score. The latter elevates the happy, fun moments between Luca and Alberto - voiced by Jacob Tremblay (Doctor Sleep) and Jack Dylan Grazer (Shazam!, It: Chapter Two), respectively - but it also knows when to tone it down and make a scene feel much more moving and tear-inducing, a trademark of Pixar's music.
Story-wise, Andrews and Jones deliver a simplistic narrative about "feeling different" without ever really exploring the sensitive theme that is discrimination based on physical appearance. Pixar doesn't need to constantly deliver profound, complex stories such as the recent Soul, so it's completely fine that Luca chooses to offer a lighter tale. Luca and Alberto are sea monsters able to transform into human beings while on land, and they're being hunted by the population scared by the "flesh-eating beasts", a myth that serves as an easy metaphor for how the world wrongly looks at "different people" that come from outside their village, city or country with their own culture. While the development of this theme is efficient, its resolution falls short.
Luca is far from being an innovative story with jaw-dropping revelations or mind-blowing moments. Enrico Casarosa sticks to the basics and follows the studio's successful formulas that have originated so many great films. There are barely any surprising plot points or character decisions, but due to remarkable storytelling and exceptional characters, all carry enough emotional weight to make a couple of tears travel to the viewers' eyes. However, the conclusion to the main topic addressed in the movie is extremely abrupt, leaving the audience with an underwhelming feeling. There's a constant sense of danger and an element of tension throughout the runtime that ultimately feels irrelevant due to the ending that solves everything way too easily.
Honestly, I don't usually use this expression to describe a Pixar film, but Luca feels like a "studio flick", in the sense that its narrative is a by-the-numbers, generic story that goes through every predictable development and respective outcome. This doesn't mean it's a negative aspect, much on the contrary. The difference is that the studio is Pixar, instead of a cheap, repetitive, dull company that continuously delivers the exact same action/horror movie, just in a different location with other actors. A Pixar film being "generic" still means that the movie possesses heartfelt storytelling, a compelling narrative with relatable characters, fantastic animation, and an unforgettable score. This is the "average standard" that Pixar built.
So, yes, Luca might not be at the top of my Pixar ranking, but it's still a film I really enjoyed watching. The voice work is incredible from everyone in the cast - including a hilarious cameo from quite a popular actor - and the production value is priceless. Overall, the characters steal the spotlight. Luca, Alberto, and Giulia (Emma Berman) are more undeniable proof that Pixar knows how to create relatable protagonists. It's impressively easy to connect with each of them, and I didn't even realize how much I cared about them until the emotionally resonant third act. The latter works perfectly due to the brilliant treatment of their friendship. From their amusing interactions to their personal issues, it all feels remarkably authentic. I can't ask for more than that.
Final Thoughts
Luca follows the studio's formulas of success closely without taking any unique detours, but it still tells a compelling story with relatable characters that gets to the viewers' heartstrings. From the detailed animation that makes the Italian coast look realistically astonishing to Dan Romer's rich score that hits all the right notes, without forgetting the outstanding voice work, every Pixar's trademark technical attribute is present in an admittedly less complex, unsurprising narrative. Enrico Casarosa takes Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones' light screenplay through a generic structure, where the "feeling/being different" theme is efficiently developed but closed in an underwhelming manner. Nevertheless, predictability means nothing in a movie where fully-developed characters spend the summer creating genuine friendships with an impactful emotional weight that might induce a couple of tears in the last few powerful minutes. It's not my favorite Pixar flick, but it's definitely a good film that I wholeheartedly recommend watching.
