Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) Film Review and Summary
SOFT 5/10
Mockumentaries are no new feat in 2022. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) is often referred to as the godfather of all mockumentaries with its satirical take on the zeitgeist of pop culture. The lines between reality and fiction are abundantly clear due to the film’s consistent absurdism. On the other hand, there are films like Man Bites Dog (1992), a French mockumentary that is so grimey, crude and unforgiving, that you desperately would like to believe that it’s fake. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) is a new, albeit limited, perspective on the genre though. In our modern age of technology, anybody can pick up a camera, record a video, send it to friends, or even upload it for the masses to view. The former borderline of realism and reality is as thin as ever, and Marcel (Jenny Slate) uses this accessibility to make that known to his viewers.
Marcel is quite literally a shell with shoes on. He lives in a separated couple’s former home with his grandma, Connie (Isabella Rossellini), that is now being rented out as an Airbnb. Another outlet for something that was once fully private, such as private property, to be publicized for its value, rather than appreciating its sentiment. Dean (the director of the film), is Marcel’s new tenant and they become acquainted with each other quickly. Dean is mesmerized by the obscure nature of Marcel’s existence and has taken it upon himself to document his every move. He uploads the clips to YouTube and they eventually gain traction, causing Marcel to become a viral sensation.
When the couple moved out, Marcel’s family of shells and inanimate objects were taken with them, much to his confusion. Subsequently, Marcel uses his newfound fame to try to leverage his hoards of fans in order to track down his lost companions. Much to his dismay though, he realizes that there is a difference between community and fair-weather friends. Marcel is scrolling through his YouTube comments in one poignant scene, where he notes that none of his loyal admirers are even attempting to work together, they’d rather just fawn over this irreverent online star.
Dean maintains an idle level of involvement throughout the film, remarking that the film is about Marcel, not himself. Unknowingly, all the director is doing is contributing to the distant nature of observation that made Marcel so popular in the first place. One sequence finds Dean revealing that he has divorced from his wife; Marcel is utterly shocked and offended that this wasn’t mentioned before, where Dean responds with the aforementioned remark. For Marcel, attention is not equivalent to caringness.
Connie and Marcel are huge fans of CBS Network’s 60 Minutes segment with Lesley Stahl. Fortunately for them, the broadcasting company reaches out to the trio for an interview to shed some light on the story behind their online videos, with the additional hope of aiding Marcel in his journey for reconciliation. Ultimately, this comes to fruition and Marcel finds himself reunited with his family and others in a heartwarming moment of innocent love. The film should have ended here though. Instead, the short 90-minute runtime begins to feel bloated with multiple false conclusions that had me picking up my phone in anticipation of finality for every time it cut to black.
Realistically, I believe that the entire final act of the film was quite forgettable, as it felt self-indulgent with its ability to tap into its meta-concept. Regardless of the touching homecoming, I found myself wanting less, but also not feeling satisfied with what I was given. Jenny Slate’s pitched-up vocals are incredibly charming in the infantile way she expresses herself as Marcel, but her occasional moments of self-consciousness were presented more as “fake woke” rather than a wink to the real-life audience. Marcel’s tenacity is certainly something to behold, but I felt often conflicted with Dean’s role in the film. He sometimes acts as a helpless bystander, milking Marcel’s severe conflicts for dramatic documentary effect, but presents himself as a true friend when it is the most convenient. I honestly grew resentful towards Dean as a character, even if he is just a caricature reflection of his true self.
Marcel the Shell’s commentary on society is incredibly relevant and properly represented through Marcel’s journey, but the film’s novelty begins to wear off as it crosses too far into the ‘fourth wall’. It unfortunately left me doubting, far too often, whether or not this should have remained a short film.