I think not.
With all the adult references and situations in this thing I have a real hard time understanding why anyone would take their kid to see it. OK, it involves a "family," or rather a widower with three kids, but the buck stops there as far as so-called "family entertainment" goes. People taking their kids to see this film remind me of the same breed of parents who let their kids watch Spin City: The logic being they think it's funny, and because there's no nudity nor "gross" humor in it, it's therefore okay for kids to watch.
Wrong. Kids, like adults, understand words, phrases, gestures, but don't always comprehend their entire context (though they have a hint of the meaning). This is why we have things like Sex-Ed in our schools; to keep them from getting into trouble. But that's neither here nor there, because the films been out since 1998, and most people who were inclined to see it (with or without their children) already have.
As far as a movie on its own I'd give this thing a passing grade. It's really the kind of film that would've been made prior to 1970, where cross cultural understanding was just coming out of its infancy. The formula of a "lost tribe" is a vehicle used in classic comedies (TV and feature film) of eras gone by. In today's age of interconnectivity, just on the most basic level of common sense understanding, it's hard to imagine a tribe of people not having been contacted by modern society. But hey, it's a movie, so anything's possible.
It is a junk film on one level. The humor, for what it is, didn't need to be so blatant, obvious, and mildly blue. There was a real opportunity to create something here, but, as usual, the marketing "geniuses" probably got their hands on the script before either cast or crew, and dictated how many and what kind of jokes were to be in the film. I say that because I have a real hard time believing any intelligent screenwriter would write action and dialogue portrayed in this film... unless hey were a hack B-movie producer.
For all that the story's actually kind of likable, and the general look of the film (bright colors and well lit scenes) is rather pleasing. And the acting is actually quite good. Dreyfuss doing his usual high energy stuff is always fun to see. But the meat of the film, the actual words spoken, actions performed, and one disappointing and obnoxious prop protruding from Dreyfuss'es crotch, leaves much to be desired.
Frank Parkin and Charlie Peters are given the writing credits for this flick. To them I say "Don't quit your day job."
With all the adult references and situations in this thing I have a real hard time understanding why anyone would take their kid to see it. OK, it involves a "family," or rather a widower with three kids, but the buck stops there as far as so-called "family entertainment" goes. People taking their kids to see this film remind me of the same breed of parents who let their kids watch Spin City: The logic being they think it's funny, and because there's no nudity nor "gross" humor in it, it's therefore okay for kids to watch.
Wrong. Kids, like adults, understand words, phrases, gestures, but don't always comprehend their entire context (though they have a hint of the meaning). This is why we have things like Sex-Ed in our schools; to keep them from getting into trouble. But that's neither here nor there, because the films been out since 1998, and most people who were inclined to see it (with or without their children) already have.
As far as a movie on its own I'd give this thing a passing grade. It's really the kind of film that would've been made prior to 1970, where cross cultural understanding was just coming out of its infancy. The formula of a "lost tribe" is a vehicle used in classic comedies (TV and feature film) of eras gone by. In today's age of interconnectivity, just on the most basic level of common sense understanding, it's hard to imagine a tribe of people not having been contacted by modern society. But hey, it's a movie, so anything's possible.
It is a junk film on one level. The humor, for what it is, didn't need to be so blatant, obvious, and mildly blue. There was a real opportunity to create something here, but, as usual, the marketing "geniuses" probably got their hands on the script before either cast or crew, and dictated how many and what kind of jokes were to be in the film. I say that because I have a real hard time believing any intelligent screenwriter would write action and dialogue portrayed in this film... unless hey were a hack B-movie producer.
For all that the story's actually kind of likable, and the general look of the film (bright colors and well lit scenes) is rather pleasing. And the acting is actually quite good. Dreyfuss doing his usual high energy stuff is always fun to see. But the meat of the film, the actual words spoken, actions performed, and one disappointing and obnoxious prop protruding from Dreyfuss'es crotch, leaves much to be desired.
Frank Parkin and Charlie Peters are given the writing credits for this flick. To them I say "Don't quit your day job."