Jeremy Kasdin

the cinematography we experienced when Willy was hallucinating was remnant of Donnie Darko, Willy walked so Donny could run. Gooby showed his true viscosity, his raw, untamed, animal nature on the day of Halloween when he made Willy’s bully piss his pants; a cathartic ending to the Bully’s reign of terror that not only showed Gooby’s true character, but also the digital prowess of the creative minds behind Gooby. How much of the 6.5 million dollar budget was wasted on Willy Hallucinating and Gooby showing his teeth to the bully? The world will never know. But what we do know now, what we can all say for certain, is that friendship is a labor of love. It takes participation from both sides and a mutual sacrifice for the greater good that is experiencing the divine dance that is sharing this life with a like minded soul. However, in friendship there are peaks, and there are also valleys. The collective genius that is Gooby dared to delve into both extremes, with their examination of the latter being the emotional climax of the film and the defining moment of the two heroines. After relying on Gooby for friendship, guidance, and companionship in a time of need, Willy finds himself in the mix with the “popular” crew, playing soccer until days end and getting invited to playdates. While Willy is enjoying his newfound popularity (as a direct result of CGI Gooby making the bully pee himself) Gooby is left to rot in the family garden shed, eating popcorn, all alone, and reminiscing about the formative stages of his and Willy’s relationship. After coming into direct contact with his morality, ego, and sense of humanity, Willy realizes that Gooby was more than just a friend, he was acting as a sense of direction, purpose, and hope for a kid who never had any friends and just moved into an estate with his 240p Jason Bateman look alike father. Willy realizes that friendship isn’t about the activities shared or the jokes made, its about finding those people in your life that will be there for you in your trying moment. It’s about trusting that individual to be at your side even when you’ve ditched that the person (or Gooby) that brought you out of the trenches just to play soccer with the cool kids. But as Willy waltzes along in the silly dance that we call life and proves his incompetence as a human being time and time again, Gooby, acting as a physical and metaphorical manifestation of the spirit of friendship, proves solid through and throughout. Undeterred by the wavering morality of his child companion, Gooby is fully cognizant of the elation and true bliss that comes along with a commitment to the divinity that is a whole hearted trust in the practice, spirit, and idea of friendship. If we could all, just for a moment, assess Gooby for his honor and commitment to goodness as a sentient being and not for the tear on his arm or left hip, we could all learn a thing or two from Gooby. Take a moment, close your eyes, and find the Gooby within your soul… we all know it’s in there somewhere, you just gotta know where to look 😉 Thank you Gooby, for all that you’ve done for not only cinema, but also for friendship across the galaxy. I hope to see you again soon, friend.