Thehibikiew
Not even bad in a good way
Ricardo Daly
The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.
Fleur
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Rectangular_businessman
I must admit that I never was a big fan of the works of Ralph Bakshi. While I do admire the efforts he made in order to show that the animated medium wasn't something exclusively for kids, the truth is that I found most of his movies to be pretty weak and dated (Specially, his movie version of "The Lord of the Rings", which I consider to be terrible)However, I found "American Pop" to be a pretty solid animated film, being at the same time the most ambitious and the most mature work from Ralph Bakshi.Not only the animation ís incredibly well done (With superb designs, beautiful sceneries, and an exquisite use of colors) but also the plot is way more complex than in the other movies directed by Ralph Bakshi, with a high level of realism and vivid moments of nostalgia and melancholy.The music and the voice acting from this film were excellent, giving it the perfect atmosphere for each era where the different parts of the story of this film took place.The result is something impressive, fascinating and unique. This is possibly one of the most ambitious and daring animated films ever made, and even when this film isn't entirely perfect, the overall result is still impressive, even by the moderns standards of animation."American Pop" is the strongest film directed by Ralph Bakshi, being the one that stand the test of time.I highly recommend this movie to anyone.
Stinger1-666
I saw this movie when it first hit theaters in 1981. In the 27 years that have passed since then I have seen over a thousand movies but this One Movie continues to be my very Favorite of All Time. I am a music geek & can play music trivia with the best of them & maybe it's true, that may have a lot to do with my passion for this movie, but I doubt it. I cried when Benny plays the Lula-bye but the Natzi shoots him anyway in WWII, I laughed my ass off when the chick jumps on Tony's car & said "For Sale". I laughed till I cried when Pete made it to the "Big Time" on Bob Segar's Night Moves, Like he said, "I ain't gonna be you're Candy Man, No More".....I LOVE this Movie. A Classic!Pete: Pizza Man! We deliver! Musician: You got the coke, daddy-o? Pete:What do I look like, man? A soda fountain?
Christopher Green
Covering The Generations of The Reincarnations of an Ellis Island Family which has The Heart & The Desire to perform American Pop shows that where The System fails The Talent takes over with The Family producing a Family Line Man who finally must perform or become genetically extinct...The Final Family Line Member finances his STARDOM by "Coin Boxing" The Church which abused his FAITH...Watch as the orphan Poppy Sandals emerges...Hell Is For Children...Listen to a Sound Track which to some is too eclectic and for others is a note-book full of memories of what life really can be and what life should really be on an individual basis with one's own soul and creator...
MARIO GAUCI
The narrative of this Bakshi animated film follows the showbiz aspirations of a Jewish émigré family through four generations (from turn-of-the-century to the present, i.e. early 1980s), taking in the various turbulent world events and reflecting the often radical changes in culture which occurred during all this time.An ambitious if heavy-handed undertaking (Bakshi's trademark realism, displayed through rotoscoped animation, occasionally interspersed with stock footage) which is patchy overall but frequently impressive - and undeniably evocative. The necessarily eclectic soundtrack, too, is a major asset even if the last half does lean too heavily on the the hippie/rock scene; it's also amusing how the script presents the band which the protagonist eventually forms part of as the talent behind many of the best-known rock songs from the era by the likes of Big Brother And The Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Sex Pistols and even my own favorite, The Velvet Underground!!
