"Kangaroo
Jack" is not as bad a film as you'd expect (believe it
or not), but it's not a very good one either. My
suggestion is if your young ones are begging to see this
movie, go ahead and see it. It's an amiable film
that's a lot less torturous that some of the trash that's
aimed at their age group. But if you're an adult and
going to the movies by yourself or with a couple of friends,
you shouldn't make "KJ" a top priority.
The film stars Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson as two
longtime friends who grew up in Brooklyn (my
hometown--YEAH!!!) together. When they were children,
Anderson saved him from drowning at a local beach.
Ever since then, the big lug felt that his buddy should
always help him do favors, since after all...he saved his
life.
They are now all grown up. O'Connell is a hairdresser
and Anderson has a job delivering TVs. The cops find
out that he's driving in a stolen truck, and as he's
speeding away from them, most of the TVs fall out the back.
They were supposed to be delivered to O'Connell's infamous
gangster father (Christopher Walken), and since they both
cost him millions of dollars in damage, he sends them on a
mission to hand an envelope full of cash to his contact in
Australia.
They arrive in Australia and accidentally run over a
kangaroo. Assuming the kangaroo's dead, they place
Anderson's lucky red jacket on it, along with a pair of
shades, and take pictures with him. Little do they
know, the kangaroo isn't dead, ends up kicking O'Connell to
the ground and hops away wearing the jacket which contains
the wad of cash. Now, the two buddies must chase after
the kangaroo and grab that money, or they're both dead meat.
I enjoyed the first half of the film, though the gags were
predictable. I was able to appreciate for what it is.
Plus, Anderson is a very funny, overlooked comic actor, who
you might remember from "Me, Myself and Irene,"
"Kingdom Come" and "Exit Wounds."
He's bursting with comic energy and has a great sense of
timing. With a better script, he could've been as
funny as he was in his past movies.
Past the second half, the film fizzles and resorts to
countless crude gags to get a laugh. Of course, the
billions of kids in the audience found the
camels-passing-gas scene to be hysterically funny, but
anyone with an I.Q. over 50 could see the punch line coming
a mile away.
Nevertheless, there was enough action and excitement
throughout to keep me awake. Not to mention the
beautiful Estella Warren. "Kangaroo Jack" is
best for the kiddies, but adults should also find it
watchable. But with so many great films out there
right now, you're better off waiting 'til this hits the
shelves.
