Bakshi's Heavy Traffic

So, after 3 attempts, I finally watched the end of Heavy Traffic. What an interesting film, it combines live action with animation, and it all fits. While it is incredibly vulgar and profane, it does not shy from dealing with race, and sexuality. In doing some research about the film, I came across some reviews that crucified it for what could be called racial stereotypes. While the characters except for Michael(the protagonist) are painted with very broad strokes, it works for what kind of film it is. At its core, Heavy Traffic is satire, plain and simple.
Plotwise, it focuses on Michael, a 22 year old, pinball playing, virgin cartoonist who lives at home with his parents. His dad is an Italian mobster, and his mother is a clingy, Jewish housewife. His parents' relationship is a hellish one full of physical violence which is played for laughs. You can see why this movie turns off alot of people. Michael finds a girlfriend in a black bartender named Carole. Michael and Carole develop a volatile relationship and the rest of the film follows their quest to make money in order to live. This seems to affect Michael in a negative way, Michael is the one character who is not a stereotype. he is complicated, and fleshed out unlike the other characters.
Like I said before this film will definitely not appeal to everyone, but that seems to be case with Bakshi. You either get it, or you don't, Bakshi's style in these earlier features is very balls out. Bakshi experiments quite a bit here with live-action, often the backgrounds are photos, also the pinball segueway technique I really like. Michael and the characters in the film are just bouncing around through life like a ball in a machine. But then again aren't we all? That seems to be the message in Heavy Traffic, while we can laugh at dysfunctional characters, we all have our own dysfunction. They are reflections of us.