Coco (2017)

Coco has been praised so heavily that no film could live up to the hype completely. It's an excellent film — the emotional gut-punch finale is genuinely remarkable — but it's not the untouchable masterpiece some claim.

Coco is not background viewing. Every scene requires you. Put your phone down, dim the lights. Lee Unkrich is doing too much to be half-watched. Give it the attention it deserves.

Every actor brings something to Coco, but the lead performance is genuinely extraordinary. The subtlety involved, the way the character changes without announcing it — it's a masterclass.

I went into Coco knowing nothing — no trailer, no plot summary. I strongly recommend that approach. The family and memory hits much harder when you haven't been primed for it. Go in cold.

Everyone focuses on the lead in Coco but the supporting cast is extraordinary. Every scene partner brings something real. It makes the world feel fully inhabited rather than staged.

Coco commits to a conclusion that not everyone will appreciate. I found it perfectly right — it refuses easy comfort. If you want tidy resolution you may be frustrated. If you want truth, it delivers.

I didn't expect Coco to affect me so deeply. The way Lee Unkrich handles the fear of being forgotten is unlike anything I'd seen before. I came out of it looking at the world differently.

The music in Coco is so deeply married to the images that you almost can't separate them. It stays in your head days later and when you hear it again the emotions return immediately.

I've seen Coco multiple times now and it just keeps getting better. the emotional gut-punch finale is something rarely matched in cinema. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your evening.

I first watched Coco as a teenager and thought it was fine. Rewatched at 30 and it hit completely differently. The family and memory undercurrent makes total sense now in a way it didn't before.