Jazz, Death, and Comedy

 Soul (2020) – Joe has dreamed of making his money playing the jazz music he loves.  On the same day his dream will come true, he suffers a terrible accident that sends into the space between life and death.  He will try everything, including teaming up with a reluctant soul that has resisted being sent to Earth for centuries, to get back the life of his dreams.

Directed by Peter Doctor/Kemper Powers       Starring Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Angela Bassett

Why I Liked It – A fun run through the afterlife, and everyday life with jazz music. 

 When I think of Pixar, I think of so many wonderful movies that grabbed our hearts.  They are either your favorite childhood movies or your children’s favorites (that you love too).  This is not that kind of Pixar movie.

First, it’s not aimed at children.  This is dealing with issues that begin in our teenage years and follow us along into adulthood.  Parental pressures, dreams that may never come true, fears that we are not now, and will never be good enough.

Doesn’t that sound depressing?  Don’t worry, it’s Disney/Pixar and they make this a wonderful ride.

Joe (Foxx) is a part-time middle school music teacher.  When he’s offered the job full time, his mom is thrilled.  A “real” job with steady pay, and health insurance and a pension!  What Joe sees is the end of his dream to play jazz piano full time.  The real cliche in all of this is the whole “Joe’s dad never made it as a musician, Joe’s mom had to work full time to cover the bills, and she doesn’t want to see Joe turn out like his father”.  We’ve all seen it a thousand times over, and I’ll admit to shaking my head when it arrived.  But that was just a blip on the otherwise fun and thoughtful movie.

After getting an audition and a chance to play with a legendary jazz saxophonist (voiced by Angela Bassett), Joe has an accident.  While his body is in the hospital, Joe is headed toward “the light”, which he wants no part of at that moment.  He puts all his energy into getting back to his life, and in defiance of the system of the afterlife.  He meets with “22” (that’s the soul’s name at this point, voiced by Tina Fey), who thinks the whole “Life/Earth” thing is gross and overrated.  Their adventures will take them back to Earth for more adventures.  No spoilers, I promise.

The concept of the movie is very good.  It gives you an enjoyable ride and a little something to think about.  The music is jazz, which always works for me.  That includes music written by Nine Inch Nails front-man Trent Reznor.  Most of the movie is Foxx and Fey bouncing of each other, and there’s nothing wrong with that, either.  So much good stuff here.

But at the end, you don’t get that “I’m going to love this movie forever!” feeling that goes with most offerings from these folks.  But don’t let that stop you.  Disney/Pixar aims for something a bit more adult, and gives us a strong offering.

Rating – *** Worth A Look