We don’t post a lot of wacky videos here at FSR, but this one holds a bit more cultural conversational water than the average mash-up.
Sure, it’s fun to see ALF done to the Inception score (or even people brushing their teeth to the Inception score (that thing is epic)), but this blending of two worlds displays instantly how much a beloved comic strip and a beloved cult movie have in common thematically.
It’s a great little video that happens to do the work of a thousand word essay on the subject, and the correlation between “Calvin and Hobbes” and Fight Club should be self-evident to fans of both.
To those who aren’t fans of both, maybe stay away for fear of spoilers:
Imaginary friends meant to brighten up the dreary world of someone bursting with creativity and talent but unable to use either.
That’s the plot for both “Calvin and Hobbes” and Fight Club in equal measure.
The mirroring of Susie and Marla is…a bit creepy considering the line of dialog from the trailer used, but otherwise everything else fits into place with stunning accuracy.
I’ve been a fan of “Calvin and Hobbes” since I was Calvin’s age, but it’s only been recently that I’ve noticed the utter sorrow of the character. He doesn’t play with any friends except a stuffed animal who he pretends is alive, he is constantly bullied at school, and (like most children) is bossed around by his parents (except for those amazing moments where his dad makes up hilarious stories and tells Calvin they’re absolutely true). It’s, honestly, a pretty sad existence.
So is The Narrator’s. He’s a corporate drone that doesn’t have any friends inside or outside of work, he invents a friend who he pretends isn’t an extension of his own consciousness, he’s pushed around at work by a sniveling boss, and he comes home to plastic furniture that can’t hug him or ask him about his day.
Again, this may be the tip of the iceberg as far as a true critique of the themes of both go, but my rambling is also a fairly strong way to illustrate just how great the video is at doing what I’ve only touched on in far too many words.
Fortunately, the original long-form essay on Hobbes being Tyler Durden is still available.
In Hobbes We Trust.
What say you, internet?