Character Analysis
Va Va Voom
Jessica Rabbit. Women want to look like her and men want to be with her. (And let's be real, some men want to look like her and some women want to be with her, too.)
But what's the big appeal?
On the ink and paint surface, Jessica's your typical femme fatale. She's a human Toon with a killer figure that no real human could possibly achieve. Jessica's a straight male fantasy, with a chest out to here and hips out to there and a waist that's in there somewhere. (It's so small, it's hard to find.)
In addition to the killer figure, Jessica might actually be a killer—hence the "fatale" part. She's a suspect in the murder/blackmail of Marvin Acme.
The reason she's a suspect is twofold.
Numero uno: apparently the men in Roger Rabbit don't trust beautiful women. Maybe it's insecurity, but Eddie and Maroon think Jessica is up to something. Maroon offers up the following lines in an attempt to console Roger:
MAROON: Take comfort son. You're not the first man whose wife played patty cake on him.
Also, Eddie just can't understand why Jessica would be with a man…er, a rabbit like Roger. To Eddie, she must have an ulterior motive. Money, perhaps?
Numero dos: money is a factor. It turns out Jessica was being blackmailed by Maroon to set up Acme. Maroon told Jessica that Roger would never work again unless she patty-caked with Acme…so she did it. She put her reputation on the line for Roger. It's sweet and it shows us that she loves him.
In fact, everything Jessica does is motivated by her love for Roger. When the two of them are facing certain death in the face of the Dip, Jessica declares her love for Roger.
JESSICA: Roger, darling. I want you to know I love you. I've loved you more than any woman's ever loved a rabbit.
This is definitely one of Hollywood's greatest love stories.
Baby, She was Drawn That Way
Jessica is also the speaker of one of the greatest lines in movie history:
JESSICA: I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.
This line's a direct response to what we mentioned above—men don't trust her because of how she looks. But, to be fair, women don't trust her either. They expect her to steal their man. Dolores falls into this category when she catches Jessica in Eddie's office, and Eddie just happens to have his pants off.
The way Dolores responds shows us she doesn't believe Eddie's pantslessness to be a coincidence:
DOLORES: Ahem! Dabbling in water colors, Eddie?
But it is a coincidence—Eddie had just came out of the bathroom. It definitely looks bad, but Dolores puts almost all the blame on Jessica for tempting the good detective.
Of course, Jessica defies what everyone expects of her by being a good woman and a faithful wife. She also helps Eddie unravel the biggest mystery of the movie. Why does a woman who looks like Jessica love a goofy rabbit like Roger? Before the movie's final chase, Valiant asks Jessica what the deal is with their relationship.
JESSICA: I have to find my darling husband. I'm so worried about him.
VALIANT: Seriously, what do you see in that guy?
JESSICA: He makes me laugh.
It's super sweet, but it also ties into Jessica being the ultimate male fantasy. Jessica lets many men believe that they don't need a supermodel body to snag a woman who has a super bod of her own. You just need a sense of humor.
And maybe some long fuzzy ears.