Kiki's Delivery Service

GKIDS | Release Date: July 29, 1989

8.4	USER SCORE Universal acclaim based on 113 Ratings

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FlipjeFeb 9, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Perhaps I am not the intended audience for such a film. I understand it was made in 1989 and for kids and released to a wider audience in the late 90s. Though, I have enjoyed numerous Anime works by Studio Ghibli, I found this less than enthralling. For instance, I became bored by how many of the characters came off as two dimensional from Kiki herself to her cat to the boy chasing her to the pregnant woman that offers her a room in the oceanside town. There is also the exagerrated expressions and over-the-top interactions I find distracting - perhaps for children, this is not so off-putting. And I will admit, what annoyed me the most and took me out of the film was how wreckless the character was. Every time Kiki rode her broom, I felt for her cat hanging on for dear life. It reminded me of those scenes in American films where one character has no thought or concern for others while racing around at the end of the film to rescue someone or something. Whether in a car or running, this trope annoys me to no end and I would describe Kiki as a pure idiot on her broom (for an audience of kids, this is a dangerous thing to not acknowledge or at least rectify). This narcistic element ruined the film for me. Yes, it was established early on she was a novice while flying her broom. And yes, she is from a small village. When she enters the town, of course, she causes havoc by nearly colliding into a bus and causing several accidents. Cue the kids laughing at this some twenty years ago. Today, this made me roll my eyes. Moreover, with her first delivery, she manages to screw it up mainly because she has not learned to master her flying. I would never hire a person like this but this film is basically all about ideals and wish fulfillment and was made for an audience (of kids) who can easily identify with this character. She is a freelancer in the town of her dreams, meeting wonderful, wholesome people. Kiki is less a character and more a child's wish fulfilmment. On the one hand this is harmless and again, I understand, I am not the intended audience. Yet I found this film infantile. And while classics should stand the test of time, I feel the reason this film has re-emerged has more to do with the Zeitgeist of the gig economy. Viewers who first saw Kiki twenty years ago as children will probably return to it with the hopes of before. Yet Kiki is not a character that has depth. Instead of evolving as a person, her story is rather bland and predictable. When she loses her ability to fly, this might have translated to an audience of children as about losing confidence or magic. Today, for those viewers watching it for the first time time or returning to it, this might well reflect back on an audience of Millenials who suffer burnout each year. And I feel for the modern audiences of today. The modern economy is horrendous and people stand alone. This film is eye candy for the soul that longs for that world of generous strangers and supportive friendships. Again, an infantile view of life. Though the fantastical elements were unique and I admired this alternative world, I felt this film was less character-driven with organic human interactions and more about being a form of consolation. And again, coming back to Kiki, girl please learn how to fly that broom.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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strangersApr 20, 2021

Let's start with the good. The background is beautiful. Characters are warn and unique, a joy to watch. (how this movie even managed a 3 from me)

Character art and music is serviceable. But the plot is utter trash. Every point of the plotLet's start with the good. The background is beautiful. Characters are warn and unique, a joy to watch. (how this movie even managed a 3 from me)

Character art and music is serviceable. But the plot is utter trash. Every point of the plot both big and small is either nonsensical, contrived, or somehow both at the same time! (and a large amount of it is nonsense) Often the way a plot is contrived is getting Kiki to act inexplicably stupid, but it's contrived in many other very obvious ways too. I struggle to find any plot point of any significance at all of this that even is a little OK

So watch it for the beauty and warm characters and if you can turn off your brain (which I was not able to do) you can enjoy this. Kids can be better at this than adults so maybe show it to little kids. For others, the horrible practically nonexistent it's so bad plot will make them feel like they are losing brain cells. If I were to give all examples of plot issues, I'd basically also be "spoiling" the movie from beginning to end, not that such should matter to someone who doesn't give a **** about plot and a movie that doesn't have one.

I forced myself to watch the entire movie because I am a big fan of many other Studio Ghibli movies and wanted to give a complete review. Like if the plot started working at any point at all in the movie... It never did. Please don't down-vote my review just because you enjoyed this movie.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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