Synopsis
This is an interesting look at the Life and Times of car customizer/cartoonist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Through the use of many graphically enhanced photographs and "talking" cars, it is a loving look at the car culture in Southern California from the Early 50's to Ed's Passing in 2001.
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Cast
- John GoodmanEd Roth (voice)
- Ted RosnickRat Fink (voice)
- Alex XydiasOld-Timer (voice)
- Paul Le MatCruisin' (voice)
- Ann-MargretHeartbreaker (voice)
- Dick SmothersStation Wagon (voice)
- Tom SmothersTrailer (voice)
- Steve AustinHeavy Chevy (voice)
- Jay LenoFlamethrower (voice)
- Bill WeinsteinBill (voice)
Recommendations
- 88
TV Guide Magazine
A nonstop cavalcade of Roth-style animation starring Rat Fink, vintage footage, artfully animated black-and-white film, and fanciful "interviews" with beautifully preserved cars of the era. - 78
Austin Chronicle
Tales of the Rat Fink is an ebullient survey of Roth's life that revs along with the zest a souped-up hot rod. - 75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The colorful cultural history lesson in an idiosyncratic key is entertaining and informative, if a little indulgent in its adoration of Roth and his counter-car culture. - 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Mann (Comic Book Confidential) plays with archive, animation and music (hot soundtrack by the Sadies), illuminating another worthy counter-culture corner. Pure fun, fun, fun. - 70
Chicago Reader
Some of Roth's cars become characters, their voices furnished by Ann-Margret, Jay Leno, Brian Wilson, Matt Groening, Tom Wolfe, and others. The pace never flags, and the enthusiasm is infectious. - 70
L.A. Weekly
These hunks of greased lightning tell how a gearhead SoCal teen got wind of the post-World War II hot-rodding craze, crossed paths with a pinstriper named von Dutch and ended up as the automotive visionary whom Tom Wolfe famously called “a genius of the only uniquely American art form.” - 70
Los Angeles Times
A breezy and lightweight primer, but to really make Roth's work and influence into more than just a nostalgia trip would require a discipline and wit seemingly beyond Mann's easygoing, feel-good survey. - 60
The New York Times
Depending on your age, sex and mechanical inclinations, Tales of the Rat Fink will convince you that Mr. Roth should either have been canonized or smothered at birth.
