GROWING UP RILEY // A FILM REVIEW OF “INSIDE OUT 2”
BY MATEO MORENO
Nine years ago, we met Riley (Kensington Tallman), an 11-year-old girl who’s depressed about her parents moving them from Minnesota to San Francisco, leaving behind all of her friends. We followed Riley’s journey by watching her emotions inside of her, embodied by cartoon versions of her emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. It was a smash hit, bringing in almost a billion dollars at the box office. Now, several years later we return to Riley’s world with INSIDE OUT 2, jumping into Riley’s teenage years and the stress and anxiety of becoming a teenager.
Returning emotions from the first film is the ringleader of sorts Joy voiced by Amy Poehler. We also have Fear (Tony Hale), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Liza Lapira) and Anger (Lewis Black). And the big news for the emotions is that Riley has turned 13 and she’s still exceptional. Joy is busy taking some glass balls filled with Riley’s worst memories and depositing them in a brand new machine she’s designed that shoots them to a far-away land called “Back of the mind.” The best memories goes to a lake where they grow into Riley’s “Core beliefs.” Riley seems very happy with her two best friends Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green) and Grace (Grace Lu) so Joy has no reason to change things up. All seems well with Riley. That is until she wakes up one day with a slightly different feel: Puberty has entered the building. Along with that comes some brand new emotions: Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrasement (Paul Walker Hauser) and Ennui, a French Ennui played by Adèle Exarchopoulos.
Unfortunately, Anxiety doesn’t want things to go just as they are, as she sees this as a chance for Riley to befrend the popular high school girl and change up her life. Or, as Anxiety puts it, change everything about Riley. Thus begins a battle inside of Riley for the future of Riley. First time director Kelsey Mann nails the feel of the first film, making Inside Out 2 a fast paced, fun and emotional ride. The returning voice cast are all fantastic and the newcomers fit right in, with the standout being Maya Hawke’s hyper fixated Anxiety (I also have a soft spot for the “cooler than everyone” Ennui). It’s a lovely and beautiful film, showcasing its sweet core right up front and center. Watching Anxiety try and mold Riley into a blank slate of emotion against Joy fighting to keep Riley happy is a great thread for the film, one that keeps it exciting and fresh until its final moments. Welcome back to the big screen Riley and friends. We’ve missed you.
GRADE: A
SCREENPLAY BY Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein STORY BY Kelsey Mann, Meg LeFauve DIRECTED BY Kelsey Mann STARRING THE VOICES OF Amy Poehler, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Paul Walker Hauser, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan NOW PLAYING IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE