3. Freeways Have Destroyed All Your Nostalgic Memories - Who Framed Roger Rabbit
There was no better way for Robert Zemeckis to follow up his fifties throwback Back To The Future than with a celebration of everything was great about that era in cinema. A film noir infused with real life cartoon characters its a movie nigh on impossible to not love. Eddie Valiant and Roger are such a unique double act that theyre interaction is topped only by the joy of seeing Warner Bros. and Disney cartoons standing side by side. For the most part the film stays on the money. Theres a nice little subtext about the segregation of toons (although much of the exploration was cut, despite elements remaining in the trailer) and a cool little alcoholic redemption story, but the big issue Who Framed Roger Rabbit dealt with is a little off the point. The introduction of the freeway in Los Angeles is, from an outsiders standpoint, a good thing; as was originally suggested when it was proposed its a lot safer and avoids congestion. Residents of LA are a little less glowing about them and thats what comes out in the film; Valiants trumpeting the public transport system, later ridiculing of the idea and the overall upbeat resolution all paint this as a bad thing. The issue was still fresh in 1987 when Roger Rabbit premiered, so I can understand why the LA based Zemeckis willingly added this, but theres enough benefits to freeways make this feel an oddly dated argument in an otherwise timeless film.