Just saw "George of the Jungle." Started out quite
funny, but petered out after a half an hour. One thing I was
struck by: George went back to the civilized world for about
twenty minutes, during which nothing at all happened. I couldn't
help wondering if that brief diversion hadn't been in the
original script; perhaps movie executives had insisted that he
goes back to the civilized world, because damnit, that's what HAS
to happen in a jungle-man movie.
Much of the film was simply wasted potential. We are introduced
to a genius talking Ape (voiced by John Cleese) and an elephant,
Shep, who acts like an enormous friendly dog; but once these
potentially funny elements are introduced, nothing much funny
happens with them. Unless you consider an ape farting (twice)
funny, or an elephant taking a huge piss (twice) funny.
Thomas Haden Church (the mechanic from Wings) plays the dickhead
suitor to the Romantic Interest. He's funny, but woefully
underused, completely absent during the unnecessary civilized-world
tangent.
Brandon Frazier is attractive but just doesn't nail the George
character. Too soft-spoken. George, if I remember him right, was
Dudley Doright-esque in his deep-voiced clumsy bragadoccio. (It
might have been the same voice actor.) Frazier's George is a
mumbling shy little twit with good abs.
At any rate, it was fun to hear the George of the Jungle theme
song again (faithfully covered by The Presidents of the United
States of America) and to see George beat the hell out of a lion
using pro-wrestling maneuvers (bouncing off a rubber tree
turnbuckle, closthe-lining the lion, pile-driving the lion). Yeah,
all pretty much already done in Ace Ventura 2 (where he pile-drives
an alligator, and uses its paws to slap itself in the face,
saying "Don't hit yourself! Why are you hitting yourself?!")
but still funny even the second time around.
And then you can pretty much rewind the tape and
bring it back to Blockbuster.
