|
KANGAROO JACK
"The movie, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and
directed by David McNally (who did 'Coyote Ugly' for Mr. Bruckheimer
a few years ago), wants to have it both ways: to be mean and bratty
while retaining a wholesome veneer...It was perhaps inevitable that
Mr. Bruckheimer, having brought his dumbed-down, reductive approach
to such entertainment genres as the war movie ('Pearl Harbor' and
'Black Hawk Down') and the racial-uplift melodrama ('Remember the
Titans'), would now turn his attention to the juvenile market."
--A.O. Scott, The New York Times
"A dumb, by-the-numbers children's movie that may be the first to
pass off Sydney, Australia, as Bensonhurst, Brooklyn...This is barely
enough story (credited to three writers, including Liz Hurley's
notorious ex, Steve Bing) to sustain a Three Stooges short, let
alone an 88-minute movie. It's padded out with jokes about camel
farts and an airplane restroom scene with the two leads that's frighteningly
similar to one in 'Just Married.'" -- Lou
Lumenick, The New York Post
"Australia buffs may enjoy the scenery, but Hollywood is so xenophobic
these days that nearly all the characters are American, and you
can see more authentic-looking wildlife on 'Animal Planet' any time
you want. Hop away from this one fast!" -- David
Sterritt, The Christian Science Monitor
"...88 minutes of desperate gyrations intended to simulate humor...As
the two stars make like a wax museum Abbott and Costello, they go
up against a series of typical Outback challenges in pursuit of
their kangaroo: sandstorms, marauding ants, flatulent camels and
a voluptuous park service worker...Reviving a dubious tradition
of Hollywood mixed-race comedy teams of yore, the white guy gets
the girl while the black guy is condemned to mug from here to eternity.
From the evidence here, however, it is doubtful whether O'Connell
or Anderson will fill either role for much longer." --Jan
Stuart, Newsday
"The plot is predictable, the jokes lame and only the anthropomorphized
kangaroo (who is sometimes computer-generated), whether rapping
or nibbling on licorice, amuses. Kids, of course, will love every
dumb minute, but then they always do." -- Leah
Rozen, People
|
