Book Review: MOVIES R FUN

By Josh Cooley. (2014, 48 pp).
Chronicle Books

Josh Cooley’s individual prints of classic adult film scenes, illustrated in the style of those old Golden Books we read as kids, have been floating around on the internet for a few years. Cooley himself published a limited run collection back in 2010. He’s written and illustrated more since then, but this time the book is widely available, and well-worth picking up by movie fans or anyone who appreciates good parody.

Movies R Fun is short (like the Golden Books series), and consists of a single repetitive joke. Fortunately, it’s a great joke. The illustrations are terrific; Cooley manages to recreate classic scenes while still making them look like something from a toddler’s picture book. But what makes it truly funny is the text which accompanies each drawing…lines from these movies are quoted mostly-verbatim, but rendered hilarious by intentionally bland dialogue tags (i.e. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat,” suggested Chief Brody). Hell, even the knowing Cooley’s day job is that of a Pixar artist adds to its amusement.

Sure, most of these prints (if not all) are widely available on the internet, but the physical book itself is funny. It resembles those old kids’ books to a tee, right down to the spine, the place inside the front cover for ‘kids’ to write their name, and the inside back cover with a massive list of other books in the “Lil’ Inappropriate” series (in the best Spinal Tap tradition, it’s made to look like these other books actually exist).

Sorry, kids, the internet doesn’t do this one justice (nor would any e-book version). Movies R Fun may be a little on the pricey side for a scant 48 pages, but like other great children’s book parodies, such as Go the Fuck to Sleep, it's a combination of the content and it's physicality that makes the joke work.

FKMG RATING:

(OUT OF 5)