88
TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox
A nonstop cavalcade of Roth-style animation starring Rat Fink, vintage footage, artfully animated black-and-white film, and fanciful "interviews" with beautifully preserved cars of the era.
Tales of the Rat Fink
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Canada
- 2006
- · 78m
Director
Ron Mann
Cast
John Goodman,
Ted Rosnick,
Alex Xydias,
Paul Le Mat,
Ann-Margret,
Dick Smothers
Genre
Documentary
This documentary examines the life and times of custom car designer and cartoonist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and provides a window into the Southern California car culture of the 50s and 60s. Creating grotesque hot rod icon Rat Fink and other memorable cartoons, Roth made an incomparable mark on pop culture and car culture alike.
Stream Tales of the Rat Fink
What are critics saying?
83
Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan
In addition to a vast array of incredible autos crafted from fiberglass, Roth also created the anti-Mickey cartoon character Rat Fink, a deranged-looking, filthy rodent.
78
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
Tales of the Rat Fink is an ebullient survey of Roth's life that revs along with the zest a souped-up hot rod.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Jennie Punter
Mann (Comic Book Confidential) plays with archive, animation and music (hot soundtrack by the Sadies), illuminating another worthy counter-culture corner. Pure fun, fun, fun.
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker
The colorful cultural history lesson in an idiosyncratic key is entertaining and informative, if a little indulgent in its adoration of Roth and his counter-car culture.
70
Los Angeles Times
A breezy and lightweight primer, but to really make Roth's work and influence into more than just a nostalgia trip would require a discipline and wit seemingly beyond Mann's easygoing, feel-good survey.
70
L.A. Weekly by Scott Foundas
These hunks of greased lightning tell how a gearhead SoCal teen got wind of the post-World War II hot-rodding craze, crossed paths with a pinstriper named von Dutch and ended up as the automotive visionary whom Tom Wolfe famously called “a genius of the only uniquely American art form.”
70
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
Some of Roth's cars become characters, their voices furnished by Ann-Margret, Jay Leno, Brian Wilson, Matt Groening, Tom Wolfe, and others. The pace never flags, and the enthusiasm is infectious.
70
Los Angeles Times by Mark Olsen
A breezy and lightweight primer, but to really make Roth's work and influence into more than just a nostalgia trip would require a discipline and wit seemingly beyond Mann's easygoing, feel-good survey.
60
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Depending on your age, sex and mechanical inclinations, Tales of the Rat Fink will convince you that Mr. Roth should either have been canonized or smothered at birth.
50
Boston Globe by Janice Page
To those filmgoers who wouldn't know Rat Fink from Barton Fink, this reviewer's advice is: Pass. The latest counterculture tribute by Mann, director of 1988's "Comic Book Confidential" and 1999's "Grass," is as proudly silly as it is informative, and it can't help that a critical amount of brand coolness gets lost in the translation.
50
Film Threat
Full of interesting visuals and illustrations, Tales of the Rat Fink would have made a really great introduction to a film that I never got to see.
50
Film Threat by Sally Foster
Full of interesting visuals and illustrations, Tales of the Rat Fink would have made a really great introduction to a film that I never got to see.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...