Good Ol’ Charles Schulz (2007)

“He had the strong feeling that we are unique human beings. What we are to do is to discover what our gifts are, and place them on the alter and say, ‘Lord, I am going to get myself out of the way. I’m going to concentrate on my gifts, and I’m going to try and use those gifts to make the world a better place.’ ” – Rev. Bob Reardon

Number of Times Seen – 1 (23 Jul 2020)

Brief Synopsis – Biography of one of the most famous cartoonists who created a world filled with children who adults could always relate to.

My Take on it – I have always enjoyed reading the various Peanuts comic strips ever since I was a kid.

I knew very little about the life if its creator Charles Schulz and was happy to find a documentary explaining about his life and influence.

This film does a wonderful job diving deep into the mind of Schulz who was such a genius in all that he wrote with these characters.

He may have had much trouble relating to others, yet he somehow was still able to write some very intriguing and poignant stories in his comic strip every day for decades.

This movie doesn’t at all shy away from showing what kind of father and husband he was because he cold never find a way to relate to those closest to him.

The film gives so much insight into his relationships with family, friends and colleagues over the years and we get a better understanding as to why his work was so effective to people all around the world.

He also dealt with his fame in a strange way but that also has much to do with his personality.

The characters that he drew in his comic strip could always be counted on to deal with adult issues even if they were drawn as kids and this helps make them so much more entertaining and educational to read.

This is actually a tragic story because of the many problems that he suffered during his life, but we also get to see at the same time how his genius always shined thru in every frame he drew.

Bottom Line – Really enjoyable documentary that dives deep into the psych of a very intelligent man who had trouble relating to other people yet knew how to write poignant and realistic stories every day. The movie pulls no punches when showing what kind of father and husband he was.  We are given a lot of insight by family, friends and colleagues as to why his work became so relatable to people all around the world and how he dealt with his fame due to his personality.  The characters in his ‘strips’ could always be counted upon to give us real insight into the minds of adults even if they are all drawn as children and that helps make it so poignant to read.  The story is somewhat tragic because of Schulz’s many problems related to others, but his genius shines thru in every strip that he penned.  Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In April 1960, the world first learned that “happiness is a warm puppy.” Fewer people remember that in October of that year, Snoopy rejected another “warm-puppy” hug from Lucy, declaring that “My mother didn’t raise me to be a heating pad.” In October 1964, Linus hugged Snoopy and then asked “What’s so happy about a warm puppy?” (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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