Harry's Movie Check : The One and Only Ivan (2020)

Harry's Movie Review

The One and Only Ivan is a family film about a gorilla who has lived for years in a suburban shopping mall. The story follows Ivan as he tries to understand his own past, and as the animals around him start to imagine a way out of captivity. I went in expecting a sweet and rather loud animal adventure. What I got was calmer than that, and it stayed with me longer than I expected, which is the main reason I am recommending it.

Bryan Cranston as Ivan does most of his work through patience. Ivan is not a character who makes speeches, and the film does not force him into one. You can read his doubt in the way he holds still before he decides something. Sam Rockwell as Bob gives the film its restless energy without turning it into noise, and Danny DeVito as Mack is funnier when he is annoyed than when he is trying to be charming. The human cast members are used sparingly, which I appreciated. The animals carry the emotional weight, and the film trusts them to do it.

Director Thea Sharrock keeps the camera close and the pace unhurried. The film does not rush toward its big moments, and it does not underline them with music either. That restraint is its strength. The limitation is that some of the story beats are familiar from other family films about captivity and friendship, and a few scenes lean on the audience's willingness to feel something before the film has fully earned it. I noticed those moments, but they did not spoil the overall experience for me.

What stayed with me afterward was the idea that Ivan's life was shaped by people who saw him as an attraction rather than a neighbor. The film makes that quietly uncomfortable, and then it lets the animals talk to each other about what they can still choose. I did not feel manipulated. I felt more like someone had been honest with me about a sad situation and then offered a small, believable reason for hope.