 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Jungle 2 Jungle
- Review Date: September 29, 2005
- PG
- Genre: Comedy
- 1997
Common Sense Media says
Silly farce about a jungle boy in New York.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that kids will see some ethnic stereotypes and violence, mainly slapstick and broadly comedic fighting. A cat is knocked unconscious. Russian Mafia thugs wave guns and knives, threatening the main characters, but scenes involving bad guys are cartoonish and played for humor.
What's the story?
A boy who's been raised by his mother on a primitive tropical island visits his father in New York, and discovers it's a jungle, too. Before workaholic futures trader Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) can marry fashion designer Charlotte, he has to get his first wife Patricia (Jobeth Williams) to sign divorce papers. There's one small problem -- Patricia now practices medicine on a tiny tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Cell phone in hand, Michael tries to keep track of a million dollar coffee bean deal while traveling via canoe to the island. Once there, his plans are derailed when Patricia introduces him to his son, 13-year-old Mimi-Siku. Michael reluctantly takes Mimi (and his enormous pet spider) back to New York, where Michael's partner Richard (Martin Short) has misunderstood instructions and made a dangerous deal with the Russian Mafia. Mimi alienates Charlotte, who's appalled by his "primitive" manners. Michael and Mimi join forces to outwit the Russians, and father and son come to understand each other.
Is it any good?
JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE, a sometimes ponderous comedy, may have been a delightful soufflé in the original French version, but it falls flat as a pancake in the American translation. The often leaden humor may not bother kids, but parents may groan at some of the film's depictions of ethnic stereotypes. Tim Allen, playing an unrepentant man-child, and rubber-faced Martin Short go a long way toward making this contrived story bearable. Neither has enough to do, but both provide distraction from a silly plot and some heavy-handed farce. Unfortunately, though the performers exert a lot of energy, the story gathers no real momentum.
Pre-adolescent humor abounds, with fart jokes and over-the-top performances the order of the day. Mimi-Siku's name translates as "Cat piss," and the head of the Russian mob is a compendium of Soviet clichés, wrist deep in caviar and black market goods. Lost amid the strained slapstick is a father-son story that could have been both comic and touching, with stronger writing and more inventive direction. That said, kids are unlikely to notice the weak points. Instead, they'll enjoy Mimi-Siku's wanderings in the Big Apple, and the mayhem he leaves in his wake.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the "fish-out-of-water" comedy. What's so funny about dropping someone, especially a naive someone, into a vastly different setting than they are accustomed to? Would fish-out-of-water comedies work very well if the main characters weren't stereotypes? Why or why not? Can you think of other fish-out-of-water comedies? How do they compare to this one?
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Kid, 12 years old
December 19, 2010
AGE
An OK movie, the thing that really bothered me about this movie was the tarantula. Some girls really hate spiders and just hate seeing them. Also I am positive it was a kind of funny movie
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AGE
good movie
great family friendly movie and it is comical too it is a little hard to understand for kids younger than 10 but a great movie and it is appropriate for all ages
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AGE
way to go Diseny!
I have seen this movie i seen my eight year old cousin quoting the line from the movie the line? the man says "Your gonna have to learn a few things in my jungle" and the boy says "And you must learn to breathe when you run" lol now thats funny the part with Matkia the spider and the mean mafia man i laughed at that part way to go Diseny outstanding movie!
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AGE
Sometimes, you find really nice things at resale shops...
This is really a great movie. CSM, why do you have to put down a lot of the good stuff? I really think anyone above seven will love it. Those younger than seven may or may not enjoy it, I don't know, I guess it depends on the kid. Anyway, I love love love Tim Allen. Here's the story of how I got into this movie: I loved (and still love) Toy Story-ALL THREE!!! When I figured out that Buzz and Jessie were romantic, Buzz Lightyear became my second favorite Toy Story character. One day, I was @ Savers, and I was in the isle w/ all the video tapes. The very first thing I saw, in big letters, was "TIM ALLEN". I thought, "WOW! IT SERIOUSLY SAYS THAT!". (Sometimes, b/c of my obsessions, running shoes look like Lightning McQueen and "Laila" written in blue becomes a picture of Flik from A Bug's life, so this is why it is an even sweeter deal when I see something related and it's ACTUALLY THERE!!!) Then, I saw the Disney logo. So I ran up to my parents and jumped for joy and said, "BUY IT!!!". They couldn't say "no" to my cute little 12yo face! The next day, I got up at 5 a.m., and I watched it. I loved it. And guess what? I was able to love the movie, even WITH the p-word. I actually love scatalogical humor most of the time, so it was more than o.k. that there was scatalogical humor in there. Anyway, this is a good movie. You should watch!
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| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | John Pasquin |
| Cast: | JoBeth Williams, Martin Short, Tim Allen |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 105 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 7, 1997 |
| DVD release date: | October 8, 2002 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | some mild violence and language |
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