Flushed Away: Rhyming Review of The Film

Submitted into Contest #59 in response to: Write about a character arriving in a place unlike anywhere they’ve ever been.... view prompt

24 comments

Romance Funny Creative Nonfiction

Hugh Jackman plays as lots of things

A  sad singing Frenchman

A master of circus rings

A steadfast cowboy

A Wolverine

But the thing most do not know

Is that he was carried away with the flow

The flush of a toilet took him away

As a rat, he learned

To see a new way.  

His name was Roddy

And he was well off

To the slobby intruder Sid

He said, “Goodbye! Mazel tov!” 

But Sid would not leave

He liked the rich house

He was a stubborn guy

An unwanted louse.

Roddy had an idea 

To get that dude away

But it came back to bite him

And karma made him pay

Because Sid knew the secret

That the jacuzzi was a toilet 

So the tables were turned

And Roddy’s plan?

Sid did spoil it. 

So instead of the sewer rat

Swirling down the drain 

It was Roddy who fell

And Roddy who felt the pain.

The poor rich rat was flushed away

The movie’s title doth decree it

Roddy was now in search of home

Though as he began to seek it

He met a rat named Rita

Who in the land of Ratropolis resided 

She was escaping from The Toad

Whereupon she then decided

To let Roddy join her fair crusade

To escape the mess 

That she had made

A stolen ruby

A stolen fake 

A plan gone wrong

Then Roddy did break

The ruby which she stole 

To bring vengeance to her pops

Then things get more tense

The other shoe drops.

Because isn’t happy

That Roddy smashed the gem

She turned quite red

And wanted to break him

But he had a plan

He said, “Rita, don’t fear!”

I happen to be rich

If the posh attitude 

Didn’t make that clear.

I’ll get you a real ruby

And it’ll be the best! 

Yours will put to shame

All of the rest.”

He had little thought

For who was pursuing 

Whitey and Spike

Did know what he and Rita were doing.

They had been sent 

By an infamous reptile

A toad named The Toad

Who was as unoriginal as he was vile. 

Before going home to Kensington

Rita and Roddy stop by

Her own home

Which is filled with love

As far as the sea is wide.

A dancing grandma

A paralyzed dad

A whole bunch of kids

And… a conversation gone bad.

Roddy misheard

A thing or two 

Now he steals the boat 

And evades Rita’s calling

Though he does love her

He resisted ever falling.

He’s hurt by her lies

That he thought he heard

With her, he felt at peace

For her, he had no words.

She eventually caught up

And cleared all the wrong felt

But then more trouble appeared

And once ice is ice it’s hard to melt. 

After a quick escape

The Toad sends for a dreaded mercenary

Le Toad is from France

And he is a strange adversionary. 

“I was replaced

By a rat once 

Long ago

This is why I hate

All rats now, my bro.” 

Explained The Toad to his cousin

And they planned the demise

Of all citizens of Ratropolis

Of all reptiles, the rise. 

The Jammy Dodger,

Rita’s boat,

Is destroyed in the escape

But soon a new transport

Begins to take shape

In the form of a plastic bag

Usually bad for small creatures

How is it that now

Roddy feels love is one of the best teachers?

He has been so far

In so little time

He expected nothing more from the sewer

Than yuckballs and slime

But now that he arrived at home

He could be changing his mind.

He handed Rita the real ruby

But what treasure was beyond

The glimmer of a stone

Was not something you could buy

Nor was it something you could loan.

Rita hadn’t told Roddy how she felt

But upon seeing he was a pet 

Her heart was turned cold

No longer did it melt

Because she knew he was tied down

That a family already had him

Why had she let herself fall in love

To go out on such a limb?

Heartbroken and sad

She left him to be

She knew her time with him was an illusion

That pets like him weren’t meant to be free. 

Though she tried to convince

Roddy to come back with her

He was too proud

For sure, for sure. 

He stayed back in 

His cushy place

With a grim smile set

A somber grin on his face.

He talked again to Barbie

Though she seemed so flat 

After meeting Rita 

Who else could compare to that?

He and Sid sat on the couch

And watched the World Cup Final 

He talked with his fake brother

Backs pressed against the sofa’s vinyl. 

But then

All of a sudden

Something was clear! 

The Toad’s plan was not done

That rat’s sign was right

The end was near! 

Oh boy oh boy 

How should he react?

Was it too late

Or would Rita take him back?

Little to Roddy’s knowledge 

His co captain had been ratnapped

Though the main plan was no longer a puzzle

This fact was nothing to be snapped at. 

Roddy told Sid, “You have to take my place okay?” 

Then he jumped back in the toilet

And he was once again

Flushed Away.

To save his new land

Below his old home

To save the witty rat 

He found more beautiful 

Than all of Rome.

The plan to open the gates

At the World Cup’s halftime

This would be when the toilet’s waters

Would be at their highest prime 

To release the tadpoles 

That The Toad had collected

They would finally have a home

No longer neglected. 

But the plan wasn’t completed

And a new Jammy Dodger was built

The best ship around sailed 

With Rita and Roddy at the hilt.

This movie is a work of art

Though many credits knock it down

This movie is a masterpiece

A Lizzie Bennet in her gown. 

September 16, 2020 02:44

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

24 comments

Rhondalise Mitza
02:44 Sep 16, 2020

It was exactly one thousand words and I am much too pleased with myself. :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Rayhan Hidayat
14:03 Sep 17, 2020

I’m so impressed that you made the whole thing rhyme! 😮 I clicked because I have a vague recollection of this film, and I had no idea Hugh Jackman even voiced the rat, but I’m glad I did, this was such a fun read. Keep it up! 😙

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
14:06 Sep 17, 2020

Thank you so much! And yes, Hugh Jackman is an excellent muse.

Reply

Rayhan Hidayat
14:10 Sep 17, 2020

Don’t mention it! I know it’s probably not easy to make 1000-word poems but I would be so down to read another. And btw, I’d love if you could check out my latest story if you have the time! 😙

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Elliot Thomas
13:25 Sep 16, 2020

I feel like this review is better than the movie itself. 70 submissions, wow. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Thanks for another amazing story. :)

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
13:38 Sep 16, 2020

As a major fan of the movie... thanks so much for reading! :)

Reply

Elliot Thomas
14:56 Sep 16, 2020

No problem. Your stories are always one of the favourite parts of my day.

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
18:43 Sep 16, 2020

Ah, why, thank you.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Scout Tahoe
02:57 Sep 16, 2020

Wow, Rhondalise. I love the poem format. The fact how it rhymed was amazing! Hugh Jackman is one of my favorites. I'd really appreciate it if you at least read over my new story. Thanks so much.

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
03:13 Sep 16, 2020

No worries, and I loved your new work! You keep getting better and better and you're going places, Scout. :) You really are.

Reply

Scout Tahoe
03:16 Sep 16, 2020

Thank you. It means a lot coming from someone with 70 submissions! Congrats. :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Amaya .
22:07 Sep 17, 2020

wowowowow first of all, I love love LOVE LOVE LOVE the format that you did it in, it's beautiful. Second, love that it's exactly 1,000 words. If I did that, I would be very pleased with myself as well :) Since you are obviously an amazing writer, I would appreciate it if you could leave some criticism on my new story. Also, it would be amazing if you could read my bio and tell me what you think of it. Again, love this story....I love your whole account, tbh And the fact that you managed to make it rhyme...like woah I can't even ima...

Reply

Show 0 replies
Zilla Babbitt
22:08 Sep 16, 2020

"With her, he felt at peace/For her, he had no words." This is lovely! I love reading long poetry because it's always a story, and yours is so fun to read. Well done!

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
22:16 Sep 16, 2020

Thank you so much, Zilllla!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Molly Leasure
17:29 Sep 16, 2020

I loved this movie when it came out! And this poem (review) makes it all the better. It shows the ridiculous, but also how the ridiculous worked! I really enjoyed it :)

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
18:43 Sep 16, 2020

Ha, best time I've ever been called ridiculous for sure!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Avery G.
03:52 Sep 16, 2020

Wow, this was amazing! I loved the different words you used to make it rhyme. Also, it was cool how it was exactly one thousand words! Great job, Rhondalise!

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
18:42 Sep 16, 2020

Thank you, Avery! Do you have any new stories out I should read? :)

Reply

Avery G.
18:54 Sep 16, 2020

You're welcome! Uhh, not unless you have already read my part two story of "Follow Your Dreams".

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Ola Hotchpotch
07:19 Sep 23, 2020

A snobbish Roddy rat was flushed way by another sewer Rat? 'cause he lived in cushy flat? and Rita was petted by a dancing grandma and a paralysed Dad? And how did Sid intrude in? Why did Rita make a mess with things ? And why was the Ruby jem smashed by Rodd? I don't feel kindly towards Rodd at all. The Toad is a better bet than a spoilt Rat . If I made a movie with as unoriginal a story, i would make the Rat flushed out to sea where he would be eatten away by a star fishy.All in all your poem was fun.

Reply

Rhondalise Mitza
12:56 Sep 23, 2020

Hi, Ola! This poem is based off of a children's film called Flushed Away. Yes, though, it is about a snobbish rat named Roddy who gets flushed down his toilet by a sewer rat named Sid, who climbed up through the sink. Rita was the rat Roddy met once he was flushed to his destination and the dancing grandma and paralyzed dad were her family members. The gem was smashed because Roddy wanted to prove it wasn't real and that Rita was fighting for nothing, literal garbage. At the beginning of the movie you aren't really supposed to like Roddy but...

Reply

Ola Hotchpotch
17:46 Sep 23, 2020

I did read a bit of that movie plot after I read your poem because it is so beautifully written . A long time back I had started writing a poem 'May blossom' where the old Toad really loved May blossom. She only wanted her son to have a lovely wife and she made May blossom's life comfortable in her own way. I only thought it was unfair that Toad is shown in bad light. You don't choose the way you look. And happily ever after only happens in fairy tales.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
S. K.
22:28 Sep 21, 2020

this really takes the prompt to another level haha! this is soooo creative great job

Reply

Show 0 replies
Jessica Primrose
04:05 Sep 17, 2020

This movie was worthy of a poem.

Reply

Show 0 replies

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.