In Defense of Kangaroo Jack

Kangaroo Jack is mostly remembered as that edgy family film from the mid-2000s with a talking kangaroo. Critics hated it and yet it managed to make a decent profit at the box office and was even given a direct-to-video sequel. Having watched it recently, I found that I enjoy it as a funny buddy comedy with solid performances and great humor. Today, we'll be looking at what works about the film, what doesn't and why it ended up the way it is.

This film does tell a solid story about 2 guys who travel to the land down under to deliver a package to someone named Mr. Smith. While they were taking pictures with a kangaroo, it steals the package (which Louis put in his jacket, which he then put on the kangaroo) and now they have to chase him to get the package back. The story is very straightforward but culminates with a big twist at the end that puts the whole thing into perspective. It also helps that there are alot of funny jokes in this film, particularly the camel scene. Most people scoff at fart jokes, but I personally found it kinda funny.

Obviously the best part of this film is the chemistry between Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson. They work so well with each other and their performances particularly shine when they're walking in the desert near the brink of dehydration. I especially love Anthony Anderson's wild and goofy performances and how much fun he's having on set. All the other actors give a solid performance with what they got, particularly Christopher Walken and Michael Shannon. Walken brings the right amount of menace and charsma to his character and Michael Shannon just hams it up every chance he gets.

The characters themselves offer quite a bit to like. Charlie is a good man who just wants to do the right thing and Louis is lots of fun and deeply cares about his best friend. Jessica is a smart, funny and resourceful wildlife expert and Frank is a short tempered gangster who relishes in putting Charlie down. The biggest standout of the cast though is Kangaroo Jack himself. He's such a funny little creature and the sequence in which his speaks and raps was just hilarious. Also, the CGI use to bring him to light looks pretty good. He moves like a real kangaroo and the jacket he wears throughout the film moves organically with him.

I really do think the cinematography deserves some credit in this film. Peter Menzies, jr (who also provided the cinematography for The Incredible Hulk) shot some amazing shots of the Outback, from the rugged canyons to the luscious oasis. I especially love the wide shots that showcase the vastness of this Australian desert. Overall, it's a well shot film.

There are a couple elements that don't work about this film. For one, I didn't care for the romance between Charlie and Jessica as I felt they didn't spend enough time together to form som chemistry. I also don't like who when Charlie thinks she's a mirage the first thing he does is grab her boobs. He totally deserved that canteen to the face. Another element I don't think worked as well was the climax. I felt it could've been more exciting, but as is it's just adequate.

Did you know that this film was originally going to be R rated? Shocking, I know but it's true. This film was originally going to have more cursing and violence and the kangaroo was only going to appear in one scene. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer saw a rough cut of the film and felt it wasn't working. So after recieving positive feedback from the kangaroo, the filmmakers decided to reshoot most of the film and tone it down significantly to appeal toward a family audience. Thus this film is one of those PG rated films that just teeters toward the line of PG-13.

Overall, Kangaroo Jack is at best a funny buddie comedy and at least a guilty pleasures of some sorts. I totally understand why some take issue with this movie being an edgy family film, but for what its worth I found it to be all good fun. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon ;)