Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Live and Learn (Rifftrax Shorts)


Rifftrax Year:  2013
Riffers:  Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett

If you've ever thought to yourself "You know, I don't think I've seen children maimed enough in my lifetime," have we got a short for you!  Live and Learn teaches the children the moral of safety by showing consequences to thoughtless and careless actions, such as breaking a leg, nearly drowning, or turning into a dummy and falling down a cliff.

The moral is noted, though maybe presented a bit too matter-of-factly.  This short seems somewhat detached from the events it portrays, and they never really come off as shocking as its hoping.  I see events being portrayed, but I don't really care about them.  But it's a fair attempt at scaring kids straight.

Mike, Kevin, and Bill seem to latch onto this overview of carelessness and push its inhabitants into even zanier stupidity.  This is something they've done quite well with other safety shorts such as Days of Our Years and Shake Hands With Danger, where the stupidity on display sets them up really well.  The difference between those shorts and Live and Learn is that Live and Learn focuses on children, which gives them a fresh perspective to play with.

They also have fun with the old-timey production values, with their reaction to the "special effects" of a child falling off a cliff being a highlight.  And of course they do love to play droning narrator, turning commentary on near fatal accidents into something akin to a Goofy "How To" cartoon.  Live and Learn is a treat whether you learn something from it or not.

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