Neurotica: Middle-Age Spread and Other Life Crises

Exposing one's mid-life crisis (and more) at a birthday party? Amorous dalliances with the mailman? A married couple fighting over a Scrabble game in the moments just before nuclear destruction strikes? The protagonists in this collection of 11 award-winning shorts from the world-renowned National Film Board of Canada, are either--in the timeless words of Queen and David Bowie--"under pressure" or simply swept up in the throes of middle-age-sowing-the-last-wild-oat hormonal urges. Watching their full-flowered neuroses, social faux pas, and Boomer-like tantrums, makes for some delightfully twisted and entertaining viewing. With nary a bowser in the litter on this sharp-looking DVD, here's the run: Bob's Birthday (Oscar winner), No Problem (Cannes nominee), George and Rosemary (Oscar nominee), Strings (Oscar nominee), The Big Snit (Oscar nominee), Shyness, Getting Started (one of my all-time personal favorites, perhaps because its theme of procrastination so closely mirrors my typical work day), Special Delivery (Oscar winner), Get a Job, Why Me? and Scant Sanity. My only caveat: the NFB cartoon collections are starting to resemble an Appalachian family reunion: i.e., there's a whole lotta inbreeding going on here (note to printer: please remove the "inbreeding" reference from the Appalachian edition). Getting Started, for example, appears on this disc, Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites from the National Film Board of Canada (also newly released from Image), and Animation Greats (from LumiVision). Regardless, this collection of fractured tales for adults (with some cute animated nudity) is highly recommended and a veritable steal at 25 bucks. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)