Secretariat (2010)

It is very difficult for a show or movie to make the viewer resonate so deeply with the characters and feel so sad for them, but then also be a wacky cartoon about a talking horse who used to be a sitcom actor. Bojack Horseman is really good. This isn’t a review for the movie secretariat, but the Netflix original Bojack Horseman which has secretariat as a character voiced by Jim from the office.

Raphael Bob Waksberg manages to create a show with very dark and realistic moments and then seamlessly mix them with plots involving very wild and out there ideas. Most of that is down to the writing as it brings us along the journey of Bojack Horseman the self destructive alcoholic horse actor who we root for because he’s written so well and so thoughtfully. Each character, even the more out there and goofier ones, have real moments where they tap into the audiences emotions and develop realistic relationships.

The voice acting can’t be overlooked. Will Arnett is Bojack, I really couldn’t hear any other actor voicing him. Paul F. Tompkins as Mr. Peanutbutter sounds like a dog in the way he captures the overwhelming excitement and constant positivity. Amy Sedaris has some excellent tongue twisters that she can deliver really well and finally Aaron Paul just disappears into Todd. You really forget it’s Jesse Pinkman voicing what is the silliest character in the entire show. Then the guest and supporting voice cast is also good, Adam Conover, Patton Oswalt and Kristen Schaal are all standouts.

Bojack Horseman’s best episodes are when it’s willing to take risks and when it does a high concept episode. Most of these come in the forms of structural devices like flashbacks which are always used to great effect or the episode where 4 Halloween parties at 4 different periods of time all tell the one story. But then episodes can get even weirder like the two best episodes “Fish out of Water” and “Free Churro”. The former has little to no dialogue and the latter is a 22 minute long monologue. The entire episode is a monologue and yet it’s still really compelling because at that point in the show we still want to understand Bojack’s relationship with his parents.

Animation in Bojack Horseman is very simplistic usually, sometimes it gets experimental like in the intro, and doesn’t detract from the story telling. It sometimes enhances it as the shows creators always sneak little details into every frame. But I think the reason the show is animated is so viewers wouldn’t feel so sad. Bojack, the character and the show, is really sad. Most episodes are goofy but then it punches you with this super emotional beat that always lands. The cartoon horse masks this seriousness and allows the show to deal with topics like depression and addiction without turning away the audience.

Sometimes jokes don’t land and sometimes the continuity doesn’t make sense, but that’s all nitpicking and doesn’t detract from the overall greatness of the show. My only real complaint is that it’s ending so soon. Only 6 seasons and it’s over. But maybe that’s a good thing. Too many shows, especially animated ones like the Simpsons or family guy, overstay their welcome and just can’t quit leading to season after season of duds. But not one season of Bojack Horseman is below good and most are excellent. So maybe the fact the creators are happy with the story they have told and are willing to close the book is a good thing.

Overall Bojack Horseman is a show about an alcoholic horse who used to be a sitcom star that manages to tackle real world issues and deliver consistently high quality episodes for 6 glorious seasons.