John Ratzenberger gives know-it-alls a dry conviction that makes them funny without making them unbearable. We value him most in an ensemble, where his New England voice can establish a character without demanding that the film stop for him.
Fi1m perspective
John Ratzenberger delivers unsolicited advice as though withholding it would be irresponsible. The New England accent and deadpan delivery help: he gives the opinionated man enough conviction to be funny without asking us to approve of him. Cliff Clavin, the know-it-all mailman in Cheers (1982–1993), established that familiar figure. Ratzenberger proposed the character during his audition, an improviser's solution that also says something about his appeal. He gives his fellow performers an opinionated man to disagree with.
With Hamm in Toy Story (1995), his first Pixar role, that assurance found a place among toys with plenty of opinions of their own. John Lasseter's film makes awkward characters worth caring about, and Ratzenberger's dry delivery suits that company. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen supply the quarrelling voices at the centre; Hamm adds another distinct personality without requiring the story to become his. We rate the film highly for its wit and the care it takes with this difficult company. Randy Newman's music occasionally presses harder than those voices need.
That restraint also serves Toy Story 2 (1999), in which he returns as Hamm. We were moved by the toys' fear of being forgotten; the film takes it seriously without giving up on being funny. Ratzenberger's matter-of-fact delivery fits that approach, giving us a comic personality who does not need to announce every joke. A few action passages feel dutiful, but the ensemble remains worth spending time with.
Pixar kept finding uses for him, from P.T. Flea in A Bug's Life (1998) to Hamm again in Toy Story 3 (2010). Across his Pixar work, many appearances are small or cameo parts. There is a limit to the pleasure of recognising a voice, though, and familiarity alone cannot make a character interesting. We prefer him when that certainty gives the other characters something to answer, rather than merely giving us a familiar name to identify. Start with the first two Toy Story films, where the ensemble gives him something worth joining.
Biography
John Ratzenberger is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known for playing Cliff Clavin on the television series Cheers (1982–1993), a role that earned him two Primetime Emmy nominations.
Ratzenberger began his career with minor roles in film and television in the late 1970s and early 1980s after spending time in London. His voice work for Pixar began with Hamm in Toy Story (1995); he has since voiced characters in numerous Pixar features, including The Incredibles (2004), Up (2009) and Inside Out (2015). He also appeared as Major Derlin in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and hosted the documentary series Made in America (2004–2008).
