Crimes
- Applying the bigger-louder-faster Jerry Bruckheimer aesthetic to the kiddie adventure genre
- Shoehorning kangaroo scenes into a lame mob comedy, then marketing the film as a comedy about a talking CGI kangaroo
- Having that kangaroo rap and do a Dr. Evil impersonation
Defender
Director Dave McNally, visual-effects artist Hoyt Yeatman, stars Jerry O'Connell and Estella Warren
Tone Of Commentary
Light, affectionate, highly caffeinated. Apparently, the film's commercial success mitigated the shame of being associated with it. The cast and crew, especially O'Connell, were so tickled by the recorded antics that it took enormous effort to not ruin each scene with gales of bellowing laughter.
What Went Wrong
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer insisted on the inclusion of certain elements, such as a dog, more action, snarling dingoes, and O'Connell's beat-boxing—a.k.a., his "spit-rap thing." Bruckheimer also "suggested" that McNally use Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" as Kangaroo Jack's theme music.
Comments On The Cast
Anderson is hailed as an improvisational genius and "the funniest man alive" (according to the Farrelly brothers). O'Connell, who is praised as a great straight man, insists that he quotes Anderson's lines from the film all the time in his everyday life. Co-star Christopher Walken is uniformly described as nice, as well as super-creepy.
Inevitable Dash Of Pretension
Anderson and O'Connell are praised for making a potentially sappy, sentimental scene instead feel "really, really honest."
Commentary In A Nutshell
Revealing how he became involved with the film, McNally says, "Basically, when I was finishing up Coyote Ugly, Jerry Bruckheimer gave me the script and said, 'Hey, David, this is the next movie you're doing.' So I thought, 'I guess this is the next movie I'm doing.'"