French Rarebit (1951)

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

When two French chefs face off against each other over who gets to cook Bugs Bunny, Bugs winds up cooking them in this rather bizarre Robert McKimson short. The main problem with 'French Rarebit' is the chef characters who are both grating stereotypes, less offensive than they are just plain annoying (think the leprechauns from Chuck Jones's 'The Wearing of the Grin'). The whining pseudo-French takes up far more time than it should. The early scenes in which Bugs plays the two chefs off against each other are slow and unfunny but once he accompanies just one of the chefs to the kitchen, the cartoon begins to liven up. The scene in which Bugs walks him through a recipe by using him as the main ingredient is very funny indeed. When the other chef returns, however, the cartoon just begins repeating itself with gags that don't stand up to a second appearance in the same short. It seems that writer Tedd Pierce over-reached himself by including two chefs as rivals to Bugs when one would have been sufficient and made the film less cluttered. 'French Rarebit', then, is a quintessential example of "Too many cooks spoil the broth".

For whatever reason, (probably that I saw this cartoon 6 billion times on TV when I was a kid) this one has always stuck with me. The music stand out for me too.When Bugs is 'kneading" the two Chefs—that "urmf! oof! arf!" sound Bugs makes has cracked me up for almost fifty years!I also love the characterizations of the two chefs: their outrageous, over-the-top accents of the Chefs and just their whole look—particularly with rabbit teeth.I admit, there's not much to the script. Perhaps it stands out for the never-before-seen characters...

Bugs Bunny gets caught between two snooty Parisian chefs trying to turn him into their main course. Once again, the team behind the Looney Tunes cartoons created a clever, irreverent litany of wackiness. If "French Rarebit" has any problem, it's that the cartoon stereotypes France. But hey, this is a joke here! The point is to luxuriate in Bugs's antics. And believe me, you're sure to have a good time. As we should all know by now, nothing is sacred to Bugs, as he trashes the rules day in and day out. It's a hoot from start to finish. In conclusion: Vive la France! Because we might just all be the pickle.Moan-sirs and madame-oizels. Ha!

Mention the name Robert McKimson to any TRUE Looney Tunes fan and you're likely to get a sad sigh in return. The man just did not know how to make good Bugs Bunny cartoons. This one about Bugs in France mixing it up with two rival chefs who each want the rabbit for their own respective cuisines, is not an exception to the rule. On the contrary, it proves the rule by being yet another lackluster effort by McKimson indeed. I mean any bugs is good bugs, but his shorts are pretty mundane and I find myself saddened when I have to sit through one. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.My Grade: C