Liberal Ideology, 9/11, and Oedipus as Subconscious Influences on An Extremely Goofy Movie.
By: J.D. Greenman
The year before the September 11th terrorist attacks was, in the sense of America’s cultural inertia, wildly different from post-9/11 America. George W. Bush had not yet taken office, America had not yet entered the internet-bubble recession, and the country’s global hegemony was secure in the tenuous peace leveraged by fifty years of its aggressive foreign policy. The preponderance of distractions which filled America’s cultural consciousness at the time centered on innovation and personal development. The American dream was of a full two car garage, money saved for the “kid’s college fund,” health insurance, job security, a sexually fulfilling monogamous relationship, surpassing the limitations imposed by capital through hard work and “focus,” and values which supported the growth of the family as a whole. It is from this cultural milieu that the film An Extremely Goofy Movie arose, and it is within this ideological framework that such a film must be understood.
Liberalism, according to the Princeton University lexicon database, is defined as, “a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution,” as well as, “an economic theory advocating free competition and a self-regulating market.” An Extremely Goofy Movie, a direct-to-video production, is itself liberal ideology transfigured into media palatable to capitalism’s mass market. The lesson of the film can be reduced to a speech Goofy gives early on: “If ya’ want that diploma, ya’ gotta fix both eyes on it like it were this here horseshoe stake.” The lesson, bereft of any serious explanation of the process or finances necessary to attend college, is left ambiguous and the plot, as such, is loosely knit and characterized by B-movie tropes. Characters’ motivations are obscure and the logistics of the film take place in a “made-for-kids” unreality. This unreality is, in and of itself, an expression of the barrenness of capitalism’s ideological influence on the film and of the influence ideology holds on all artistic medium. Liberalism cannot explain the context of the modern world and the struggle of the middle class without either slowing the narrative pace of the film or overburdening a “kid’s” movie with somber facts and caveats. So, rather than advocating serious self-exploration in either of the movie’s principal characters, the movie mischaracterizes the experience of living in capitalism, college life, middle-aged dating, and the job market as a means to facilitate liberal ideology directed toward a niche market of baby-boomers and their Gen-Y/Millennial children.
In conjunction with these facets, there also exists a subconscious undercurrent of the Oedipus complex in the story. The Oedipus complex is defined by the Oxford Dictionary’s website as,
The complex of emotions aroused in a young child, typically around the age of four, by an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and a wish to exclude the parent of the same sex.
This manifests in Max Goof’s ardent contempt for his father and his affections, as well as indirectly alluding to the absence of any kind of mention of Max’s mother. These elements of the story, much like all of the others, are divorced from any direct significance in the film or its message but exist in the background like a strange ether. As little is ever made of Max’s mother — although it is implied in the television series “Goof Troop” that she is deceased — it would seem the very premise of giving Goofy a romantic partner made the writers of the series uncomfortable, as the implications of Max’s Oedipal hatred become even more bizarre in this light. One need only search “Max Goof” on DeviantArt to be availed with the strange sexualizations of these characters — particularly Max’s soon-to-be-step-mom.
The film centers on Goofy Goof and his son Max. Max, who is eighteen and eager to leave home and get away from his father, is primarily drawn to college because of his interest in competing at the “College X-Games,” a series of extreme sport competitions at a nearby university. The events which comprise the College X-Games include: skateboarding, roller skating, mountain biking, rock climbing, and street luge. This motif, gimmicky and niche-marketed as it is, plays an integral role in the movement of the film’s plot. Indeed, the first shot of the film is Max leaping through a faux title-screen on a skateboard and then landing in a vert-ramp — showcasing his moves. However, this element of the film fails to manifest in any meaningful way and remains a serviceable element of the plot.
Goofy is truly the main character of the film. It is his development, in terms of his relation to others, on which the film is grounded. We watch Goofy struggle with the same dilemma as he did in the previous “Goofy” film, A Goofy Movie. Max, wanting to escape what he sees as his “doting, over-protecting” father, is emotionally distant with and generally contemptuous of him before he leaves for college. Goofy, lacking general social acuity, smothers his son with his presence and seemingly suffers from “Empty-Nest” syndrome. A specific series of scenes captures this idea. The night before Max’s departure, after fighting over whether Max would take “old stuffed bear to college,” Goofy gives Max an adding-machine which “belonged to [his] father,” as if this outmoded device would hold any sentimental value to Max. This gift is only referenced later once in the film, during a hallucination. The next morning, Goofy makes a large breakfast which Max does not eat. In this scene, Goofy is shown wearing a robe and cooking as Max cavalierly glides through the kitchen on a skateboard and takes a drink of milk straight from the jug. Goofy admonishes him about such things and makes sure he “brush[ed] his teeth” and “put on clean underwear.” As Max and his friends, Bobby and P.J., back out of the driveway, Max tells his father that “We’ll pick up some donuts on the way,” and Goofy opines, “Don’t forget to have some milk with those donuts!” and then, muttering to himself, “Goodbye, my little college man.” The film’s musical score then turns melancholic and follows Goofy into the house where he wanders to Max’s room and picks up the teddy-bear Max had left behind. However, Goofy seemingly overcomes his over-attachment to Max, without learning any specific lesson, through a romantic relationship with the librarian at Max’s college, Sylvia Marpole.
Indeed, Goofy and Max’s friend P.J. both “find themselves” through their respective romantic interests. Goofy with Sylvia, who seems to re-chart Goofy’s life path with “picnic[s],” disco dances, and “walk[s] on the beach,” and P.J. with the beatnik-themed poet girl, who is designated as “Beret Girl” in the film’s credits. However, both of these developments fail to convey the struggle that comes with defining one’s own identity in either one’s awkward teenage years or in one’s mid-life crisis. P.J. seems to adopt the black turtlenecked-garb of Beret Girl out of a desire to have a clearly defined sense of identity which he lacks, and by the end of the film, Goofy has neither found a new job nor has he learned any particular lesson about relating to and respecting the boundaries of his son — Sylvia merely preoccupies his attention, leaving Max free to pursue his interests.
It should be acknowledged for the sake of conceptual clarity that the very nature of Goofy as a dynamic character is at odds with his traditional casting in Disney cartoons — that is, his being goofy. Slapstick, “hyucking” laughter, and malapropisms are just a few examples of Goofy’s raison d’être. However, his incarnations in the 90s and in the year 2000 portray Goofy as a middle-aged, out of touch, single parent struggling to fulfill the maternal void in his son’s life. This is wholly at odds with original depiction of Goofy in cartoon shorts such as the 1940 production, “Goofy’s Glider.” Goofy is, in fact, depicted in matronly garb in both films (a towel is cinched around his torso and another wrapped around his head after exiting the shower in A Goofy Movie, and he is wearing a bathrobe and slippers while he makes pancakes in An Extremely Goofy Movie). This is not without a subconscious kind of significance in terms of Max’s supposed Oedipus complex.
The most clearly ideologically influenced scenes are those depicting Goofy’s factory job. Goofy is employed in a toy factory where a robber-baron, Scrooge-type character observes all of his employees through an all-seeing surveillance system. Goofy and his coworkers wear orange, prison garb-style jumpsuits and assemble (from parts presumably made in third world countries) toys on an assembly line. Still forlorn over the departure of his son, Goofy repeatedly hallucinates Max’s face and voice in inanimate objects (which, as evidenced by a later sequence in the film, might suggest a history of hallucinogen abuse on Goofy’s part).
Unfocused, Goofy accidentally accelerates the conveyor belt to an unmanageable speed only to accidentally put it in reverse a moment later. In a horrifying industrial accident, Goofy is sucked into the pneumatic shipping tube which carries product from a boiler-type structure (which is oddly in the shape of a coffee pot) to the production line. Goofy’s body, enduring an impossible amount of pressure, is forced through the tube and into the boiler, which then explodes, launching him through the roof of the factory, collapsing part of the ceiling and possibly injuring other workers.
Goofy’s boss, reminding Goofy that he had been warned before, fires him on the spot. There is no mention of “worker’s compensation” and Goofy is dragged off by security. Later Goofy, upon conferring with a social worker in an unemployment office, reveals that he had “complete[d] three years” of college credit in “the seventies,” and she admonishes him to return to school so he can find work. There is no explanation for why Goofy cannot find further factory work without a college degree — instead it is implied that work without a degree will necessarily be hostile and demeaning. Goofy’s failure to complete his degree in the seventies is what has sequestered him in his unhappy position in life. The implication is that without a college education, people are undeserving of a rewarding occupation. Ultimately, Goofy uses his termination as an excuse to further try to reconnect with Max.
Max, inversely, resists his father’s affections. Indeed, his greatest fear is to turn into his father. This is expressed succinctly via the nightmare sequence which opens A Goofy Movie. Max, lost in an amber field of wheat, hears a female voice, like a siren, calling his name. He makes his way through the meadow, pushing the stalks aside to reveal an opening (reminiscent of imagery depicting emergence from the womb) where Roxanne, the girl Max desires, sits atop a pillar in a white dress, evoking symbols of virility and virginity. Roxanne descends, her dress flowing behind her, into Max’s arms. They roll in the flowers and stare longingly into each other’s eyes. Roxanne leans in to kiss Max but suddenly shrinks back in horror. Max’s buck teeth have become enormous. Max asks, “What’s wrong?” as his ears elongate with whip-cracking speed. Max watches in horror as his right hand becomes larger, then his feet, his torso, and finally, his snout. In the end he looks exactly like his father, and Roxanne screams as he lets out Goofy’s characteristic “hycuking” laugh while lightning crashes in the background.
Max’s fear of his father is ultimately a fear of his own inevitable future. It is also an indirect result of the absence of his mother. Neither film ever truly resolves the issues with Max’s tortured psyche and selfishness.
Throughout An Extremely Goofy Movie, Max is cold and ardent in his efforts to exclude Goofy from his college life. This, however, is somewhat understandable to the viewer, as Max does this in response to Goofy’s violations of their stated “ground rules.” Max explains these rules to his friends upon Goofy’s arrival at his university. He says,
Listen, guys. Cut the old man some slack. He has to be here. He was fired and he can’t find a good job without a degree…Look, I talked to him and laid out all the ground rules. No interfering with the X-Games practice, no hounding us about school work, no coming into our room unannounced, and no acting like a father, especially mine. He’s got his life and I’ve got my life [the words ‘my life’ echo three times in one of several meta-jokes in the film].
Even at the end of the film, Max, confused by Goofy’s claim to have gotten a job at the university so he could be “close to [him],” incoherently stammers in dismay. One could take this moment as evidence of Max never overcoming the resentment he feels for his father — which is clearly the case for the narrative space between the original film and the sequel. However, Goofy reveals that he is “just kidding,” and Max quips that he is, “So goofy,” suggesting some vague development in Goofy’s awareness of other’s feelings and unspoken boundaries.
The villains are the most serviceable elements of the plot. “The Gammas,” who are known as “the number one team in the history of the College X-Games,” are led by a cardigan wearing prep named Bradley Uppercrust III, who is reminiscent of privilege based-villains of such films as Caddyshack and Revenge of the Nerds. While clearly being an unrealistic character type for a professional X-Games athelete, this is inconsequential to the narrative inertia of the film, and only serves to relegate vague privilege — specifically the notion “old money” — as the principle catalyst for Bradley’s behavior. His competitiveness, his willingness to cheat at sports, his disdain for anyone who challenges his hubris or place in the social hierarchy all underlies this point.
Goofy, after being pawned off onto the Gammas by Max in the hopes that he’d ruin their chances in the X-Games, participates in the fraternity’s “Skull & Bones” style ceremonies and competes in their events — winning them, much to Max’s chagrin. Before this, Goofy disco dances with Sylvia to the song, “Shake Your Groove Thing” in a local nightclub, which, ironically, doesn’t embarrass Max in the slightest. Later that evening, Goofy and Sylvia snuggle on a park bench. A shooting star cuts across the sky and Sylvia says, “Oh, Goofy. This was the best night of my life,” and Goofy responds, “Mine too,” seemingly forgetting about the birth of his son or any number of other moments. There is a fundamental disconnect between the vague uplifting message the film wants to send and the variety of bizarre and morally confused messages it is sending. The surreal fact that Goofy is in a romantic, physical relationship with another person is enough to bring most people to a screeching halt.
In relatively short order, Goofy forgets about his romantic involvement with Sylvia and becomes fixated on Max’s statement, “Leave me alone and get your own life.” He slips into a daytime hallucination during his Mid-Term exam, while doodling Max’s name on his test — the first question of which (one of the many meta-jokes in the film) is, “Briefly explain the meaning of the universe.” In this hallucination, a rainbow-haired version of Goofy arises out of a flower Goofy has drawn, wearing a green suit with yellow lapels, and whisks Goofy off to the top of a mountain-sized version of the same adding-machine that he gave to Max earlier in the film. There, he is served tea by a series of variously pigmented, pint-sized Max-fairies. These fairies coalesce to form a single Max, who smiles at Goofy and lolls his head to the side.
The hallucination then shifts into a “bad trip” and “Max” becomes enraged, morphing into a muscular behemoth who flips the table and sends Goofy tumbling through a series of images which serve as reminders of the major plot points in the film (Goofy falls into a stake holding a number of horseshoes — echoing his advice about “focus” from early on in the film). Goofy lands in an undefined space comprised entirely of white. The rainbow-haired, “groovy” version of himself and Max are shown in a trap door like area in the void of the ceiling. Max yells to Goofy, “Leave me alone and get your own life!” and slams the door shut while “groovy” Goofy gives him a peace sign. This should be understood from the perspective of portraying a mid-life crisis in a “for children” mass market film, of which the audience is primarily comprised of children whose parents are baby-boomers — individuals who most likely experimented with a variety of narcotics in the 1960s and 70s. The scene should also be understood as generally peculiar.
For no reason whatsoever, Goofy returns to Pete’s home for advice. Pete is P.J.’s father and is depicted as working class and oafish. His advice is,
All that book learnin’ doesn’t prepare ya’ for diddly-squat. It’s useless in the real world. All them square roots and circumnavigating and circumference and bah! It’s all [unintelligible][1]…If you know that four quarters adds up to a Simolean, you’ll survive. Anyone who tells you any different is primin’ your pump. Take it from me, pal.
While Pete is saying this, he is throwing horseshoes, missing each throw, which is transparently symbolic for the supposed vapidness of his statement. Pete is, for all intents and purposes, not wrong. Again, this film is liberal ideology transferred into propaganda — this moment being one of many that underlines this point. While Pete is talking, Goofy remembers his horseshoe speech from earlier in the film and returns to college determined to regain focus (there is no mention of what Goofy is even majoring in). After reconnecting with Sylvia, who puts him through an absurd training montage, the film segues into Goofy earning “all A’s,” leaving the “Gamma Mu Mu fraternity,” and warning Max of their plan to cheat in the final rounds of the competition.
The final scene of the competition firmly grounds this film as a pre-9/11 movie by the very fact that it was later censored. Bradley Uppercrust III, angry that his “right hand man,” Tank, may win the competition instead of him, whips out a cartoonish remote control after falling from his skateboard. Goofy, seeing this, pulls a horseshoe from his pocket, crying, “It’s about staying focused on your goals!” and hurls the horseshoe at Bradley, hitting him in the chin. The irony of “staying focused on your goals” being represented by a symbol of luck should not be lost on the audience. Bradley then collapses onto the single red button of the remote, activating a rocket on Max’s skateboard. Max is sent flying into Tank, down the track, and into a large, X-shaped event prop made of scaffolding and a red-colored canvas-like material. According to the Internet Movie Database,
[The] scene where Max and Goofy are saving Tank from the burning “X” logo that fell on Max and Tank during the X-Games Finals [was removed]. Th[e] scene [w]as…edited out of the film due to the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. Instead[, later releases of the film skip]…straight from the part where The X logo collapsed to the part when Max, Goofy and Tank emerge from the smoke [sic].
What this shows is difficult to say. Perhaps it shows that American culture in the post-9/11 world is reactionary, quick to censor, and that liberal sensibilities about representations of violence or tragedy congeal into the American subconscious — perpetuating it with stale, mediocre entertainment and simplistic reductions of the social issues in our world.
Ultimately, An Extremely Goofy Movie is an innocuous, playful romp through the mid-life crisis and Oedipal complex of a man and his son struggling to survive in a world seemingly bereft of all realistic adversity. Society is stratified into clear winners and losers. The old-money rich are typecast as hold-overs from a bygone era with no examination of the system which produced and buoyed them. Perseverance is exalted as virtuous while simultaneously being informed by sheer circumstantial luck. Success is defined by overcoming unfair odds and a stacked deck — an ethos for capitalism to say the least. An Extremely Goofy Movie is a film about “focus” which ultimately abandons any single cohesive message and leaves the attentive viewer awash in confusion when the credits finally roll. It is here that we can see the skeletons in America’s ideological closet — class, debt, drugs, and sex. An Extremely Goofy Movie is a film which disguises those skeletons in the trappings of “G-Rated” apocrypha, creating the impression that the problems which children will eventually face in the “real world” must necessarily be reduced to the simplistic formulas adults deem necessary for their future survival in a cold, impersonal, and unforgiving social structure. Goofy’s advice should haunt us, however, because Goofy is a fool.
[1] Possibly “garbology.”
