torsdag 29 oktober 2020

Daniel´s Choice For Bad Films: Jungle 2 Jungle ( 1997 )

If you grew up with comedies like myself in the 90´s, you remember some films that were actually pretty funny. There were some films that actually managed to entertain you, but there were also some really bad comedies that were released in the 90´s. Some director´s decided to make some films that no one really asked for, and it turned out to prove that some ideas are not meant to be made into films. Since there are a couple of films that comes to my mind, let us pick out two films that i especially remember being bad. Let us begin with the 1997 comedy known as Father´s Day with legendary comedians Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. I remember the first time i saw this film on VHS, and i wondered what the hell did i just watch ? Considering you have 2 really good comedians in this film, and you can barely laugh anything at all, you know it is a very bad sign. Oh, this film is also directed by legendary director Ivan Reitman ( the director of Ghostbusters and Twins ), and considering that he have done some great comedies in the past, this has to be one of the worst films he have ever made. I am a big fan of both comedians Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, so to see them both in Father´s Day turned out to be a terrible choice for them. My next bad 90´s comedy choice is the 1993 film known as The Skateboard Kid. Imagine if you would do a skateboard version of the classic 80´s TV show Knight Rider more foused to entertain kids, with a talking skateboard instead and some really awful special effects, and you have this film. The Skateboard Kid probably entertained smaller children back in 1993 - 1994, but i was about 16 years old when i saw this film the first time, and it did not make me laugh. I actually rewatched the film again many years later, and found out that this film have turned out to be even more bad now. To hear legendary actor Dom Deluise as the speaking skateboard, just feels like a tragedy. Such a legend from the Cannonball Run films, decided to do such a bad film as The Skateboard Kid, must have been because he just got a good pay check. There are some 90´s comedies that i have not seen, since i have heard some bad things about certain titles. So i decided to pick out one title, and that title is the 1997 comedy known as Jungle 2 Jungle. I have seen some of comedian Tim Allen´s films from the 90´s, but i never felt interested in seeing this title back in the day when i saw it at VHS stores. But i decided to give this film on chance, since i got a good price on a DVD copy. Is this a Disney comedy that actually have entertainment value, or is Jungle 2 Jungle just as predictable as an Instagram video with schlager singer Anna Book ?

Michael Cromwell ( Tim Allen ) is a self-absorbed commodities broker living in New York City. Wanting to marry his new fiancée Charlotte ( Lolita Davidovich ), he needs to obtain a divorce from his first wife Dr. Patricia Cromwell ( Jobeth Williams ) who left him some years earlier. Patricia now lives with a semi-Westernised tribe in Canaima National Park, Venenzuela. Michael travels there to get her signature on divorce papers, but upon arriving, Patricia reveal that they have a son together named Mimi-Siku ( Sam Huntington ). Michael attempts to bond with Mimi-Siku in his brief stay with the tribe and promise him to take him to New York. That promise will turn out to be sooner that Michael expected.

I did not see Jungle 2 Jungle back in the 90´s because i have read some negative reviews in the newspapers ( i used to read a lot of movie reviews in news papers during this time ). Looking at Jungle 2 Jungle today, 23 years later, i can tell you that i don´t really know who this film was supposed to entertain. Was this film supposed to entertain children, or parents as well ? Because the comedy scenes feels forced, and Tim Allen does what he usually does, acting over the top. I know this is a remake of a french comedy called An Indian In The City ( a film i did not see, but i remember that some critics enjoyed this french film ), but it does not really matter. This is a lame attempt just to do a Disney comedy that does not deliver some really funny moments. I get it, they tried to make a film about cultural differences between the big city and the amazon jungle. But without any jokes that match with the story, it becomes clear that this film is more of a cash grab than an effective comedy. Comedian Tim Allen have a past of trying to make families laugh, and he probably have, especially in The Santa Clause films. His character Michael in this film, is someone you don´t really care much about. And this is supposed to be a part of a sweet story of a father, who is getting to know his unknown son. If only they could have focused on doing some funny scenes between the father and the son in different situations, that would have been more entertaining to see. The son played by actor Sam Humington ( who have done some good acting performances in his adult life ) does not really give much of an impact in this film. I realise that he was young when he made Jungle 2 Jungle, and everyone has to start somewhere. Unfortunately, this is not the film you will remember Sam for honestly. Director John Pasquin ( who directed The Santa Clause film with Tim Allen ) have made a Disney remake of a French film without any attempt to make this remake funny, charming or entertaining. It is almost like he thought that this would be the best way to do a remake, without seeing the mistakes he made. Jungle 2 Jungle is one of those Tim Allen films you probably won´t remember, and there is a good reason for it.

Rating: D

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