Release Date: 11/15/2013
Run Time: 89 minutes
Director: Joel Allen Schroeder
Rating: 6.5/10
dearmrwatterson.com
“Dear Mr. Watterson” is a documentary about the beloved comic strip “Calvin & Hobbes” that ran from 1985 to1995 and the creator, Bill Watterson. Watterson famously rejects the spotlight and does not appear in the film except in drawings. Instead the director interviews fellow comic artists such as Bill Amend, “Foxtrot”, and Berkeley Breathed, “Bloom County”, as well as many fans who love Watterson’s work and industry professionals he worked through.
The director, Schroeder, gets some great interviews in this film. Amend, Breathed and a few other comic artists shine as they talk about Watterson’s work and his style and commitment to not letting the strip become licensed. However, Schroeder cannot seem to find a real point. He touches on a few subjects like Watterson fighting for more space and different layouts for the Sunday strip but never touches on why that happened. He touches on his art style but not why it’s special. Everything is shallow. The film jumps from topic to topic without ever leaving one feeling satisfied with the information.
Schroeder can’t seem to figure out if he wants to focus on…
I’d like to see another editor get his hands on the raw footage of this film to see what they could come up with. Schroeder can’t seem to figure out if he wants to focus on his own feelings about Watterson, fans feelings, or colleague’s feelings. Schroeder travels to Watterson’s home town and goes through archives of his work in the local newspaper and yearbooks but we only briefly see the art. I was constantly left wanting when segments would end. Along with that, there were a few times I felt the film was going to end only for it to once again shift focus. There was no rhythm to it.
There is still a lot to be liked in the film, especially the motion graphics. They have some great music and showcase the Sunday strips in a way that made me want to dig out my books and read through every last page again. That can’t save the narrative though. I’d recommend watching this if you love “Calvin & Hobbes” but it is definitely not for the casual fan.