One Paragraph Movie Review: Babe

Twenty-fifth film, so almost a fortieth of the way through: Babe. Not my first viewing (who hasn’t seen Babe, come on), but I have lower tolerance for the bits I don’t love (American accents, schmaltzy border collie personalities, animatronics) and increased goofy-faced affection for the bits I do love (border collie puppies, James Cromwell, Magda Szubanski, idyllic farmy bits, dickhead ducks). It never veers too far into twee, is a killer yarn for (ugh) all ages, and finishes with one of the most utterly beautifully shot and directed silent climaxes in history. I still say “that’ll do, pig” to people I’m proud of. Doesn’t always go down well. 4 robust rooster-ducks out of five.