Movie Review: Escape From Tomorrow

  

The easiest way to describe Escape From Tomorrow would be: David Lynch does Disney World. There is all manner of evil and debauchery here behind the curtains at the happiest place on earth, problems that manifest as visions (or are they?) as well as physical ailments on one man having a very bad day in his already shitty life. He is married to a woman ("She's pretty in an Emily Dickinson sort of way") who barely tolerates him and his beer belly & Hawaiian shirts. He's the kind of guy who gets bullied by his kids. He's on vacation with his family in Florida when he gets a call from someone telling him he has been fired from his job doing who knows what. He leaves that information for a later time, wanting to let his kids enjoy one last day of vacation before they head back to who knows where. His wife nags and cuckolds him, not even giving up a kiss while enjoying a leisurely ride through the world of Winnie The Pooh. On the monorail into the park, the first hint of lechery seeps out of Jim (Roy Abramsohn), whose face devolves into a slimy grin when he sees two young, flirty Parisian teenage girls who giggle and flirt their way into the debauched mind of the bored, middle-aged, horny Jim, whose wife and kids are sitting right next to him. The strange journey that he goes on while not-too-stealthily following the two girls around the park ("Daddy, why are we following those two girls?") only begins on that monorail and doesn't end until Jim really sees what goes into making the happiest place on earth and what happens when you don't heed the warnings and blindly try to enjoy yourself.

Did I mention that this is for all intents and purposes a comedy? Writer/director Randy Moore gets plenty of shots of all the things that you see in a place like Disney World (Disney is only uttered one time in the film and it gets bleeped out); sneezing, coughing, hacking old men, obese Southerners in scooters eating chicken, lots of vomiting, lines that go for hours only to finally arrive at the cars and have the ride shut down. However, in this context, they're humorous, and watching our Jim try to navigate the sea of people and fake happiness lets us enjoy it instead of be victim to it. Moore and a small crew shot the film over a series of trips to Disney World and Disneyland and shooting among the crowds with no interruption from cast members. Abramsohn, on a recent episode of Doug Loves Movies, noted that that method was possible because the grounds are so hectic and there are already so many people with cameras that one or two cameras filming a family didn't raise any eyebrows. He noted that while Disney never gave permission to shoot there, they are aware of the film and are not going to plan any kind of interference upon its release. If they were remotely concerned about Escape From Tomorrow, the film would have never seen the light of day.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Tomorrow is the fun it has at the expense of Disney and its properties. Animatronic figures and beloved characters devolve into demonic creatures that start to unravel Jim's already fragile state of mind. A sultry woman sharing a bench in a playplace with Jim tells him over an oversized Emu drumstick as their kids play with each other that all the princesses are in fact high priced call girls and that Asian businessmen pay handsomely for private time with them. Jim witnesses this first hand and what starts out as a fun photo op for he and his son turns into a vulgar display that Jim can't believe what his eyes are seeing is actually happening. Another scene has fun showing us what really goes on inside that big Epcot globe ("It looks like a big testicle"). However, the more bizarre stuff is what really makes it interesting. A nurse clinging to the edge of her own fragile state of being, Jim's lust for the Parisians (as well as the effect they have on his young son) and their overt sexuality and infatuation with various phallic objects around the park, the threat of Cat Flu and a sinister plot involving naked women and the Siemens Corporation provide plenty to enjoy and ponder. The entire film is in black & white and it creates an eerie mood and even makes Disney janitors seem menacing. Having all the color and cheer taken out of the park makes it easier to see the weird and the creepy that is lurking in the shadows. At least for Jim. Everyone else seemed to be having a good time, and why wouldn't they, who doesn't love Disney World? Seeing Disney push a man to the brink of sanity is worth the price of admission alone. If David Lynch or David Cronenberg did tackle a project like this, it would be better and would bring the weirdness and quality to the next level but for now, we can enjoy this unique film and be glad that Disney is letting us.