The Rabbit Trap

I normally only write reviews for the very top 5% or the bottom 5%, movies so far outside the average stuff, that I feel compelled to write. My compulsion here, come from my reaction to another review. To wit,

"The story completely misses the point that in forgetting the rabbit trap, it is Eddie who has the problem and wants to make it his bosses problem. Private companies are not like governments. They are not in business to provide jobs for people and they are not run by bosses who enjoy making life miserable for their employees. Unlike government departments, they have competitors and if they don't do it better and or cheaper, they lose market share and eventually go out of business. "

Wow. Where to start. Sure the sons point of view is simplistic, failing to see the company's profit and loss structure, but is an individual caring about the possible suffering of one of gods creatures all that insignificant? For all the fathers exposing children to hunting, decking them out in size 3 or 4 cameo's, and doing all but buying them child sized shotguns so they can get a jump on their killing odyssey, wouldn't the world be a bit nicer, a slightly better balance if more fathers would skip a day at work, just in case their child might have positioned a small animal for an awful death?

in my life, between being a combat medic, then a special forces medical instructor, and finally med school, internship and residency, I've seen a great deal of cruelty. Perhaps its why I see a need for more compassion, kindness and awareness of suffering of both humans and animals.

It's hard to imagine, but in this film Ernest Borgnine plays a milquetoast who lets his boss walk all over him. Eddie Colt (Borgnine) hasn't had a vacation in years and the day he and his family finally arrive at a vacation rental, the boss (David Brian) orders him to return to work immediately, as there is an emergency and he's needed. Well, there is no emergency but Eddie disappoints his family and puts up with this thoughtless behavior.

There is a problem. Just after arriving at the vacation spot, Eddie took his young son through the woods and laid a trap to catch a rabbit. They have no intention of killing or harming the animal and plan to let it go....but with the big hurry to get out of town, they forgot about the trap....and the little boy is devastated. What will happen to any bunny that gets stuck inside....surely it will die!

While the title and plot might make it sound like a cute film about kids, it's really more of a light drama about a man who just doesn't appreciate what's really important in life. It also gives Borgnine one of his best roles, as like his Oscar-winning performance in "Marty", here he excels at playing a real guy...with an incredibly natural performance. Exceptional despite the title!

Ernest Borgnine is excellent as a husband and father whose long-awaited camping vacation with his family is cut short after his boss orders his return to the office; Borgnine's little boy is upset they left a rabbit trap behind, and is angry with his father for not caring about the potential death of an animal versus the demands of his job. Screenwriter J.P. Miller, adapting his 1955 teleplay, broadcast as part of the Goodyear Playhouse, is a bit too obvious drawing out the parallels between the man's position at work and the caged rabbit; but, even as the symbolism is beaten to a pulp, the star's performance carries the material. This project was clearly meant to get Borgnine back on "Marty" territory; while "The Rabbit Trap" isn't nearly as rich in personality as that film, it certainly has its heart in the right place, and Borgnine's confrontation scene with his hard-nosed boss is pretty powerful. ** from ****

While everyone else seems rudderless and flip-floppy, David Brian is unbeatable as a driven businessman with a complex compassionate side but who also knows his boundaries. worth a watch just to see how he handles his role.

6.5

A family goes on vacation when the father's boss calls and wants him to come back early. Hoping this is his chance at promotion, he does. But they forgot that a rabbit trap was set and the son now worries about the fate of any rabbit caught in it.

It is nice to see a young Ernest Borgnine. He somehow looks less goony. And he makes a nice father, even if the "Nevada Slim" reference is lost on me.

The film is very sentimental and touts family values as being more important than work. It is a tough film if you look at it realistically, because of course to have a functional family, you need to have some sort of income. But the message is still important if not taken too seriously, and the film could have gotten more sentimental than it did (for example, if the boss took Borgnine's side), and I am glad it did not.