Trolls: What a delightful little world we live in

Living with kids isn’t easy. When it comes down to having a quiet night in and you want to watch a movie, there’s only so much that parents will tolerate. Power Rangers on Netflix doesn’t really make anyone but my son happy, and I can’t stand watching anything on YouTube for children (some of that shit is outright toxic). Every now and then, we try to find a movie that we think both our kids and us will enjoy, so we were lucky when our 4-year-old got attached to the movie Trolls. When it came out, I didn’t think much of it. I never really liked Justin Timberlake’s music or his SNL sketches, so I thought the movie would be more of the same, with a cash-grabbing toy company out to incite girls to buy new versions of their dolls. I was pretty surprised then to find out that Trolls was an overall fun film from start to end, the perfect antidote to a lazy night at the end of my weekend.

The movie centers around a group of trolls who, after escaping the clutches of the bergens, a race of grumpy creatures who think the only way to be happy is to eat trolls once a year, find themselves being hunted down again by the one bergen, Chef (Christine Baranski, who’s as wonderful here as she is on the Big Bang Theory), who was kicked out of Bergentown for accidentally allowing the trolls to escape in the first place. She cozies up to Prince Gristle, the ruler of the bergens, first snatching several of trolls she lost many years ago, then vowing to bring the rest of them for a new Trollstice celebration, where they’ll all get eaten to make the bergens happy. Meanwhile, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) tries to save her friends from Chef with the help of a reluctant Branch (Justin Timberlake).

It all sounds really stupid, I’ll admit. But the story is written so earnestly, with characters that are usually excessively cheerful yet also capable of feeling deep sadness, worry, and regret that you can’t help but get on board with the simple happiness-through-introspection theme that the movie conveys. It’s filled with one-liners, weird, retro creatures, and full-on musical numbers that are catchy and, most importantly, appropriate. I usually despise musicals that make the music a spectacle unto itself. I find them self-indulgent, as if I need 17 people doing the lambada and singing about how excited or sad or whatever they are, droning on and ruining the entire rest of the movie. It’s the complete opposite here though, as each number has its place in the story, either giving a bit of exposition or further the plot, linking seamlessly—and meaningfully—with the rest of the action. They celebrate the characters and their motivations in ways that are more than just singing and dancing, with a few gags here and there to keep with the vibe of the rest of the film.

I think a good chunk of the enjoyment you get out of Trolls will depend on how catchy you find the music and how well you get the jokes. It’s a movie made for both kids and adults, but the humor might still come off between with tweens than your average 40-year-old. It’s still dark enough, what with eating trolls and a maniacal Chef who’s more abusive than just pure dark evil, but the whole point of Trolls revolves around finding positive ways to make yourself happy. And therein lies the ultimate success of Trolls: it’ll make you smile (maybe sing and dance a little too), even if you’re a grumpy ol’ bergen.