Jungle 2 Jungle

Cast: Tim Allen, Martin Short, Jobeth Williams, Lolita Davidovich, Sam Huntington, LeeLee Sobieski and Frankie. J Galasso.

Director: John Pasquin

Release Date: 1997

Running Time: 1hr 45 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

An American remake of the French movie "Little Indian, Big City", Michael Cromwell discovers that he has a thirteen year old son Mimi-Siku who was raised in the jungle and brings the boy to New York City, turning his life upside down in the process. 

An American remake of the successful French movie "Little Indian, Big City", the storyline is very accurate apart from the city in the original was Paris, not New York. Michael Cromwell (Allen) is a Coffee Trader in New York City. Michael is getting remarried and must settle his divorce however his ex-wife Patricia lives in Canaima National Park, Venezuela. Little does Michael know that he also has a thirteen year old son Mimi-Siku. Mimi-Siku is told by Chief of the village that in order to become a man he must get fire from the Statue of Liberty, so Michael takes him to New York with him to meet his fiance and introduce him to the big apple. Michael doesn't warm to the idea of having a son at first, all he really cares about is trading coffee with his colleague Richard Kempster (Short), making as much money as they possibly can! However it doesn't take long for Michael to realize just how much his son means to him when they find themselves in a spot of trouble.

Michael is played fantastically by Tim Allen, his character is very arrogant to some degree however it's nice to see his character become more down to earth as the film progresses. Richard Kempster played excellently by Martin Short, a fantastic character actor, one we sadly do not see much of these days. Both were in their prime in the mid nineties. Richard lives with his wife and two children Karen and Andrew. Richard and Michael both find themselves in a spot of trouble during the course of the film. There may even be a romance between Karen and Mini-Siku. Mimi-Siku is played beautifully by Sam Huntington most recently he played Jimmy Olsen in "Superman Returns" alongside Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth. As a child of course, he was a Disney star! Sam's performance is excellent, his character is a free spirit, having grown up with a tribe in Venezuela he finds himself overwhelmed in New York. Not understanding quite how dangerous a city can be.

This is a Disney movie, please don't go in expecting some sort of masterpiece. It's a wonderful family film, one that you can put alongside "Casper" and "The Addams Family" as a fun film to watch on a rainy day. That doesn't mean to say that the movie isn't worth watching, the storyline is good, it's fun, humerus and exciting in places. If you're a single parent you may find it tugging on your heartstrings a little bit. The relationship that Mimi-Siku soon develops with his dad is lovely, the two eventually become very close. It's one of those wonderful feel good family films that everyone can just enjoy! I say family film, the movie does have a PG rating and for good reason. Nothing serious, very, very mild violence, it's never put into practice but it is threatened.

Shot briefly in Venezuela, but mainly shot in New York City. Cinematographer Tony Peirce-Roberts has captured New York beautifully. Stunning shots of The Twin Towers (Ground Zero) and The Statue of Liberty, it shows New York City at it's best. Michael and his fiance Charlotte live in a gorgeous New York penthouse with a stunning view of the city. Richard and his family live in a gorgeous big house on the outskirts of New York. The film is full of tropical fish, monkeys, Tarantula's, snakes and white cats called Coco. A stunning score, that coincides with the film perfectly. I love the transition in soundtrack from Mini-Siku in Venezuela to him being in New York. The score goes from being very tropical, windpipes are used for example, then to New York with a very modern Americanized soundtrack. I love how it shows the transitions between countries.

Jungle 2 Jungle is a fantastic family film that everyone can watch! Tim Allen and Martin Short are absolutely hilarious and work as a great pair on screen!

5/5 stars