Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles (2001)
He heard there was wildlife in L.A. He didn't know how wild.
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Jere Burns, Jonathan Banks, Alec Wilson, Gerry Skilton, Steve Rackman, Serge Cockburn, Aida Turturro, Paul Rodriguez, Kaitlin Hopkins, David Clendenning, Duke Bannister, Betty Bobbit, Karen Crone
Director: Simon Wincer
Running Time: 92 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: PG
Comedy, Drama
On DVD What's wrong with Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee? He looks old! Sure, he was no spring chicken even in the original movie 15 years earlier. But now he looks really, REALLY old. He's not alone, though. The line of humour being exercised here outdoes him in the 'past it' stakes at every turn.
Mick (Paul Hogan, in the role that once propelled him to worldwide fame) now makes a living out of touting his 'crocodile hunter' reputation for the tourists. He's still matched-up to first-film sweetheart Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski), and the pair of them now have a sprog called Mikey (Serge Cockburn - honestly, who calls their kid 'Serge'??).
When Sue gets a call from her newspaper mogul daddy telling her about the death of his Los Angeles editor, she decides to return to her journalistic roots and take the job herself. So Mick, Sue and Mikey head for L.A., where they soon learn of mischievous goings-on at a movie studio producing the third instalment of a tired film franchise (which is some sort of self-referential satire, I suppose). More importantly, it develops into an unconvincing crime sub-plot which, in the enforced absence of any sort of romantic storyline, is effectively a necessity. The fact that most of it revolves around various tourist rides and film sets turns the whole thing into a strange sort of PG remake of 'Beverly Hills Cop 3' (the one in the theme park).
When compared to the sparky, funny Croc film of 1986, everything here is just plain wrong. He's a watered-down PG version of his former wild-man self. He's followed everywhere by a pointless kid. He's not so much a fish-out-of-water any more as just a bloke-out-of-date. And painfully so. Would Sue ever have fallen in love with him in the first place if THIS had been the guy she'd encountered in the outback all those years ago? Even the music score's a bit on the rubbish side now.
DVD Extras: Exclusive behind-the-scenes stuff and the usual theatrical trailer.
It's Got: Mike Tyson in a cameo, being passed off as a gentle giant who sits on his front lawn teaching passing children how to meditate.
It Needs: To stop now - let's lay the Crocodile Dundee character to rest before he's ruined forever.
Alternatives: Crocodile Dundee, Crocodile Dundee II
Summary: Tame, lame, and just not the same.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 23rd July 2003
External Links
Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles at the IMDB
