Hey Everybody, This is LarryVaried! This is the only blog in which I can do two totally different things on it in a row, and it's totally normal.

Yes, it has been a while since I've written a review/blog entry because I happened to be doing a lot of things throughout the last week. I do happen to be a jew, which means that I have responsibilities as a jew. Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (two of the BIGGEST jewish holidays of the year) are going on and I've been very busy. I've also been working on a very extensive LarryVaried Top List which will be a channel exclusive, and I am trying to keep up with a 3-day Flapperdoodle uploading schedule. So yeah... that and the constant issues of school and family are enough to make me occupied.

However, I did take the time to watch a movie. But before I get into the movie and my review, I would like to extend a thank you. On Thursday my friend ShadowThePika reminded me of ReviewTopia's MKWii Game Night and I had the oppurtunity to race. By god, it was one of the most fun race sessions I have ever played even though I sucked half of the time. Thanks to The Shades, Lady K, Enigma, Matty Jay, and TJ for one hell of a night, and sorry for me clicking the F*CK YOU Button a few to many times XD. See ya next week!

OK, now on to the movie. And many of you may be shocked about two things, 1. the movie I chose to review, and 2. my opinion. Today's movie is...

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Yep, it's Kangaroo Jack! Made in 2003, Kangaroo Jack was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. I'm sure many of you know him for producing such awesome productions like CSI, The Amazing Race, and The Pirates of the Carribean. I'm also sure you remember him producing other things like Armageddon, G-Force, and Bad Boys. He's very mixed, but many consider this to be one of the worst. Now, I saw this movie when I was younger and I remember not understanding most of it but enjoying it none the less. Trust me, I KNOW how bad people think this movie is. I KNOW. It has a terrible score on Rotten Tomatoes obviously implying it got a good bashing by critics. Many regular fans also consider the movie stupid, unoriginal, and blatantly desperate to get a laugh. And I have just one thing to say;

WHY DO SO MANY PEOPLE HATE THIS MOVIE???!?!?!??!?!?!?

Seriously! It's a pretty f*cking valid question! WHY? Sure this movie and no godly masterpiece but it is NOWHERE NEAR as bad as people make it out to be. Kangaroo Jack does try to get laughs out desperately. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But ya know what? This movie made me laugh on many occasions. Here's my logic; people are bashed this because it was another one of those STUPID animal movies with a dumb premise and terrible humor. I have one question to that... what did you expect?

The movie begins with a backstory about Charlie Carbone (Jerry O'Connell) having his life saved by Louis Booker (Anthony Anderson). In this backstory we also meet Charlie's soon to be stepdad Salvatore Maggio played by none other than the one, the only, Christopher Walken. We also meet his long time bully Frankie Lombardo (Micheal Shannon). Charlie and Louis become best friends, and 20 years later, he's a hair stylist who has to help Louis deliver TVs. This soon turns into a police chase which causes them to nearly get arrested. The TVs were apparently supposed to be delivered to Sal's warehouse and bada-bing bada-boom, they end up having to go to Australia to do a little favor for Salvatore. They must deliver a soon discovered 50,000 to a man named Mr. Smith (Marton Csokas).

They get to Australia and run over a kangaroo. They play around with him like putting a jacket and sunglasses on him and call him Jackie Legs (???). This is fun until he comes out of his kangaroo coma to run away with the 50,000 in the jacket pocket he was wearing. This turns into a wild kangaroo chase and with the help of wildlife expert Jessie (Estella Warren, and yes, she's hot) they go on a search to find the 'roo before Salvatore's mob find them.

The story is very far-fetched and silly, but at the same time I found it to be somewhat creative and funny. I mean sure it's ridiculous but they use the subject matter well in the plot. A kangaroo was never really given the whole lovable animal treatment even though it would be easy to. I appreciate them doing this, because I like kangaroos, and seeing one getting that treatment is nice. The plot is paced pretty well but character revelations are pretty sparadic specifically Charlie and Jessie's romance and Charlie's rise to bravery. However, the plot did take many surprising turns and I liked that.

The performances in this movie are pretty mixed. O'Connell gives a good performance. He knows how to play the brave guy and he also knows how to complain... a lot. Then again, that isn't Jerry's fault, it was the script (which I'll get to later). Anderson can sometimes be a bit obnoxious in the movie specifically when he yells or tries to make a sexual joke. But, he does give some funny lines here and there. Estella Warren probably gives the most impressive performance. She never has a bad part in this movie. She gives many of the good line including one which made me laugh VERY loudly. And, once I heard she was a model TURNED actress, I was even more impressed. Finally, Christopher Walken is surprisingly not like himself as in he's less crazy. Enough said there. Everyone else does a good job.

The main problem with the movie is the script. The movie tries to make you laugh by using some really desperate humor. This includes things like jokes about farting, boobs, dicks, homosexuals, and other things like that. Now, are most of these jokes stupid, yes. But Kangaroo Jack's comedy strength is not these jokes, but the jokes that are actually funny. Smart jokes are ALWAYS funnier than the sex jokes, and Kangaroo Jack doesn't know that it's smart jokes are MUCH funnier than their sex jokes. The script is also the main reason many performances annoyed me. Specifically Anderson's performance since he was responsible for most of this stupid humor.

The cinematography is actually pretty cool. The CGI kangaroo is a nice effect and does give us a few laughs. The talking of the kangaroo is very minimal (maybe for the best). Although, throughout the movie I could tell when they were using green screen and when the actors were off screen to get the true action. Most of the scenes are shot well especially the action scenes which are very engaging and fun to watch.

Here's my biggest problem with Kangaroo Jack; the premise is so... out there. I mean, when you look at the poster, you think straight up animal buddy movie. You think they are going to milk the concept of Kangaroo Jack talking. But, he talks in two scenes. They use the Kangaroo so little when really he provides better humor than the sex jokes. I can easily say that I would prefer a movie about these two guys going on a vacation to Australia and a talking Kangaroo tagging along. It probably would've been a better movie.

Overall, it's what Kangaroo Jack does, and what it doesn't do. It thinks it had to be this family comedy with very hidden adult humor. But that isn't what it needed to be. I stretches it premise very thin and is way too heavy on the sex jokes. I'm gonna say this again, the movie doesn't need this humor. Stick to smart humor. This is the main reason this movie is universally hated, but to be honest, I am willing to see the silver lining of Kangaroo Jack. It has pretty good performances, good action scenes, nice cinematography, some pretty good jokes, and a charming overall feel to it. Is it perfect? No... but it is by far not as horrible as people think it is. My grade for Kangaroo Jack is a:

7/10: OK (Go watch this and get your own opinion on it. Don't trust the critics.)

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So, that's today's review. Hey, be sure to check out my YouTube channels for other awesome videos!

http://www.youtube.com/user/LarryVaried

http://www.youtube.com/user/flapperdoodle

Gots some awesome videos coming up. I've been watching a lot of shows lately and every so often I'll give an opinion on it. Stay tuned for one of those soon!

- Larry :)

PS: HAPPY OCTOBER!