George of the Jungle

School has started again, and along with massive amounts of homework, come opprotunities to learn (or something, this is the public school system), hang out with friends, and most importantly (for this blog at least), babysit. There are back to school nights, parent teacher comfrence, and the endearingly vauge "school events". With these jobs come more last minute trips to Blockbuster (or picks from the online Netflix) for crummy kids movies, and with that come these blog entries. Tonight's film was George of the Jungle.

It's been years since I've watched George of the Jungle, the 1997 live-action adaption of the 1960's cartoon. I know that we own the VHS, and I remember watching at home. Since I was about seven at the time, I quickly was distracted, and moved on to the newest Disney/Pixar movie or whatever was new on our shelves.

That being said, I had extremely fond memories of the film. The swahili-speaking guides were a particular favorite. Lines like "Bad guy falls in poop, classic element of physical comedy", with their combination of meta awareness and bodily humer, can not fail to amuse grade school kids. And particularly immature babysitters. Lyle's (the villian, played by Thomas Hayden Church) attempt to speak Swahilli also still amused. However, rewatching the film was an overall disappointment.

The acting, especially Fraiser's title role, are played over top to the point that they are grating, and every second joke has to do with bodily functions or crotch shots. As the film went on, it got more flat and annoying. The roles became stale and the time just seemed to drag.

If you watched this film in your childhood, let it stay there where only the better jokes remain. If you have never watched it, let it stay unwatched.