[5]

When an eccentric toymaker dies, he leaves his factory in the hands of his warmongering brother (Michael Gambon). As the company slowly turns into a weapons manufacturer, it’s up to the toymaker’s son (Robin Williams) to set things right. A long-time passion project for director Barry Levinson (Rain Man), Toys is a visually stunning achievement full of bright, bold, imaginitive sets. The soundtrack is also pretty cool, featuring an ecclectic lineup of Enya, Thomas Dolby, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Tori Amos, with Hans Zimmer tying everything together into a unified, musical whole. But the sparkling veneer can’t hide the fact that Toys is tragically ill-conceived. The movie’s theme is nothing more than a clunky statement of, “Toys are good, guns are bad”, which isn’t much to hang your narrative hat on. Any attempt to get emotionally invested in the movie is swiftly undercut by the excessively daffy characters. Robin Williams becomes too much for the movie to bear, and except for Michael Gambon and LL Cool J, the rest of the cast is not put to good use, either. The film was rightly Oscar-nominated for art direction and costume design, but it’s a shame this gorgeous flight of fancy didn’t come with an anchor. With Robin Wright, Joan Cusack, and a cameo by Donald O’Connor (Singin’ in the Rain).

Oscar Nominations: Art Direction, Costume Design