The Weight is Over

Dare I assume you’ve already seen Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2?  (I haven’t.  This will be my first panda movie.)  If you’ve seen the earlier epics, you probably know what to expect here.  What I didn’t know was that Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman provided the voices in all three versions of this animated feature, along with Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, and a bunch of other noteworthy actors.  New to number 3 is Missoula favorite son J.K. Simmons, probably best known locally for his role as the Farmer’s Insurance Professor in the tv commercials, if not for his roles in Oz, Juno, Kim Possible, Whiplash, and oh so many more.  Imdb.com shows that he currently has ten roles in pre-production, post-production, etc. just for 2016 and 2017.  Personally, I’ve seen him on stage at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in the role of Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm and in Missoula in the role of El Gallo in The Fantasticks.  Whether playing comedy, drama, or commercials, Kim (as I know him) is a truly wonderful actor.  I imagine he’s a great cartoon voice as well.  In this endeavor, Simmons does not play a panda, but rather the supernatural villain Kai, a yak! 

I don’t want to give away the plot, but if there’s a villain, then of course there has to be a hero, and it’s our old friend Po, voiced here as in numbers 1 and 2 by Jack Black.  Po’s teacher is Shifu, again voiced by Dustin Hoffman.  The question becomes can our hero, coached by his mentor, overcome the villain and save his home and friends.  Isn’t that always the question.

The movie opened in the U.S. on January 29, 2016 and grossed over $41 million on its opening weekend.  In the couple of weeks since then, it’s grossed a total of almost $94 million, so it’s a popular draw.  Jack Black has appeared on Conan O’Brian’s show plugging the movie, and J.K. Simmons and Lucy Liu have appeared, separately, on The Tonight Show doing the same.  Jack Black even appeared on Jeopardy when a category was devoted to this film.

Let’s not kid ourselves.  This is a family film.  One reviewer quoted on imdb.com had this to say:

But enough of the parent stuff, Kids will love it, so many little voices throughout the theater busted out in their joyous cute laughs, along with their parents. It has so much fun for children they will not be disappointed. 

But for adults, lets [sic] say us men will love the action and some cool above normal animation which happen all over the movie to keep some of us action junkies enthralled. And women will love the messages of love, family and self-worth with some beautiful scenes of colors and imagination. Not to say I didn't enjoy all aspects of the movie. 

I hope he’s right.  I’m looking forward to finding out for myself.  Running time is 95 minutes.  Playing February 19, 20, 21^st at 8:00 p.m., with a matinee Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., at the Llano Theatre, Plains, Montana.

Upcoming films at the Llano Theatre (subject to change):

KUNG FU PANDA 3 PG
February 19 - 21 matinee 3 p.m. Sunday

THE FINEST HOUR PG-13
February 26 - 28
THE REVENANT R
MRACH 4 - 6

In the interest of full disclosure:  I have no connection to the Llano Theatre.  I just appreciate the fact that a small town, Plains, Montana, has a movie house that shows great movies at a reasonable price usually within a month of their first on-screen appearance in the big cities, and I want to make sure that those of us who live in the area continue to enjoy this luxury for a long, long time.