Most widely known for his popular MTV promotional cartoons, the ones with the scratchily animated men in business suits comically abusing each other's heads, animator Bill Plympton makes his video debut as a live-action director with the belated release of J. Lyle. The film—which chronicles the redemption of an evil lawyer after his meeting with a talking dog who comes complete with a cartoon mouth—plays, as might be expected, like a live-action realization of one of Plympton's cartoons. Fortunately, his vision translates well. J. Lyle has its clumsy moments, many of which can be attributed to its obvious shoestring budget, but it's packed with Plympton's inventive ideas. These range from the expected cartoonish sight gags and set pieces—malleable facial features and a trip through an apartment's electrical system being just two examples—to unexpected bits of drier wit, such as a restaurant specializing in white food (mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, etc.). The main problem with J. Lyle is that Plympton has included too many funny ideas at the expense of keeping his story consistently in motion. There are entire sequences that, while amusing in their own right, add very little to the movie. But, despite these minor flaws, J. Lyle is a fresh and entertaining find.