If I Cannot Bring You Comfort ...

The main reason why "Toys" did so abysmally at the box office is that most people simply didn't get it. They passed it off as more of Robin Williams' silliness, totally missing the anti-war message and the fact that it was intended as satire. SATIRE, remember that? Remember allegories, symbolism, and so on?

"Toys" tells the story of a whimsical toymaker who, in order to force his son to grow up, leaves a share of his happy toy factory to his evil brother. Leslie, the son, and his "fragile" sister Alsatia soon uncover the General's diabolical plot. Not only does he want to make war toys, something that the factory has never produced, but he wants to use children to control nuclear weapons via video games. Lesli and Alsatia must then find a way to stop him.

This movie is much deeper than it appears, but it'a also a lot of fun! Robin Williams is as zany as ever, and Joan Cusack is quietly hilarious as the VERY odd Alsatia, who eats only mayonnaise sandwiches...yes, there is a reason for this, which we don't find out until almost the end. The toy factory, with all of its delightful toys and "happy workers", is really neat(I couldn't help enjoying the scene about developing new kinds of fake vomit!)

Barry Levinson created something very special with this film, and I think most people would realize that if they gave it another chance. Beneath all the silliness lies a powerful message that is very relevant in today's society. If you missed this in theaters and have not yet seen it on video, I would recommend that you see it as soon as possible.