Jack Black starred in two of the best films of 2008 – “Be Kind Rewind” and “Kung Fu Panda”. In 2009 Black was part of the one of the worst film of the year – “Year One”. But last year he hit, quite possibly, a personal all-time low with the incredibly bad “Gulliver’s Travels”.
This is a re-working of the classic story by Jonathan Swift. Black stars as Gulliver, a guy who works in the mailroom of a NYC newspaper. He always talks about doing big things, but never has the guts to do them, including asking the paper’s travel writer (Amanda Peet) out on a date.
Gulliver’s lies to get an assignment to travel to and write an article about the Bermuda Triangle. When he gets there his boat is sucked into a vortex and he ends up washed ashore on the island of Lilliput, which, of course, is filled with little people. He is captured (how?) and then tells more lies and becomes a hero, but he has to fight-off an enemy army and a jealous General to save the island and try to get back home.
O.K. – that’s the plot. And I think I was pretty kind in my description. But I can’t hold back anymore. This movie is, above everything else, simply not funny. And for a comedy that usually bad enough. But “Gulliver’s Travels” is so much more. It’s gross, offensive, embarrassing. Personally, you’ve got to feel bad for everyone involved in this project except for Black, since he is also the Co-Executive Producer, and therefore has to take full blame for this mess.
The audience is forced to watch Black for much of this film with his shirt off, which is bad enough, but we also see his butt crack, he gets a wedgie, gets kicked in the groin (of course, all terrible comedies has to have the groin shot scene) and, believe it or not, he does something with his body that’s even more disgusting than all of that combined. I can’t write it – and I still don’t believe that I had to see it.
This is a very tough film to watch. It just doesn’t work on every level. I think 20th Century Fox was hoping that some of the fun that came from the scenes of the small characters from the first “Night at the Museum” film could be produced here with a whole film about little characters. What a mistake! When the studio pushed the opening of “Gulliver” back 3-days last December it was a clue that they knew they had a bomb on their hands.
“Gulliver’s Travels” is rated PG for some mild violence, language and adult references. It may be appropriate for kids, but kids, teens, adults, senior citizens – NO ONE should have to watch this film. If someone gives you the option of having to sit through this movie or take a trip to the Bermuda Triangle, take the trip.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Gulliver’s Travels” gets an F.
I’m betting that Black can’t wait for the release of “Kung Fu Panda 2” so he, and everyone else, can finally put “Gulliver” behind them.