KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE (PG-13)
Directed by Todd Holland Running Time: NA Scheduled Release: February 27, 1998 (USA-wide)
Reviewed by E. Benjamin Kelsey
* ½ (out of four)
The yet-to-be-released KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE is being marketed as a family comedy, but buyer beware. This movie can't make up its mind. Is it a family comedy with vulgar references to both the male and female bodies, menstruation, circumcision, and sex that would make any parents squirm at the thought of having their child next to them? Or is it an adult comedy approached with such immaturity that only adolescents will appreciate the effort? Either way, "unbalanced" is the word to stamp on this hit and miss and miss and miss effort.
The premise is catchy - Widowed anthropology professor James Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) has spent the past two years "getting over" the death of his wife, neglecting key research and squandering grant money on personal living expenses. Now it's time to show what he's achieved in those two years, and he has absolutely nothing to show for it. With a fabricated tale of studying a previously undiscovered tribe in New Guinea, Krippendorf petitions for new funds while hiding the fact that the previous $100,000 grant was spent on trips to McDonald's. But when his "discovery" becomes the latest craze among colleagues, the professor finds he must do more than talk about the tribe - he must create it. With the aid of his three children, the headstrong teen Shelly (Natasha Lyonne of EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU), the slightly younger Mickey (Gregory Smith), and the nine-year-old Edmund (Carl Michael Lindner), the "Shelmikedmu" tribe (named from the first half of each child's name) is born, and videos quickly produced in Krippendorf's backyard are passed off as stunning documentary footage of the newly found New Guinea tribe.
Despite the professor's wishes, the buzz surrounding his discovery only grows, due in greatest part to Veronica Micelli (Jenna Elfman), an overly vivacious (and voluptuous) anthropologist who barges her way into the discovery and basically deems herself Krippendorf's main assistant. Hungry for recognition, Micelli sets up interviews, lectures, etc. in an effort to make this the biggest sociological event in history, a sure fire way to go down in the history books. Krippendorf, on the other hand, is seeing himself go down a jail cell corridor, not in history books, and with each new lecture, he must come up with something impressive to unleash about the tribe - mating habits, domestic structure, etc. Thru fumbling improvisation, and often some quick thinking from his oldest son, Krippendorf makes it thru each new lecture, but only creates more and more interest in the highly unique tribe. On the opposing end is Krippendorf's arch rival, Ruth Allen (Lily Tomlin), an arrogant professor whose jealousy drives her on a mission to disprove the existance of the non-existent tribe.
It's a cute idea, and approached with a more subtle (and mature) style, KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE could've been a real winner. Sadly, the mostly-misfired toilet humor, overly comical musical score (by Bruce Broughton), and sugar coated sentiments (all the key ingredients of a "family comedy") just aren't the right tone for this film. Cut that crap out, add some razor sharp dialogue and witty sociological perceptions and you've got a good start. At the state it's in now, you've got something along the lines of MEDICINE MAN meets MRS. DOUBTFIRE meets DUMB & DUMBER, and that's not a concoction anyone should be overly anxious to try.
The overall product here is a highly forgettable cup of "average", with a few laugh-out-loud moments and a great big gap in between them. Most of the characters are surprisingly two-dimensional, and the only one who seems to exhibit any real acting effort (Lyonne) seems to go greatly unappreciated. Director Todd Holland has gone about making this film in all the wrong ways. It's stuck in limbo between Disney family fare (JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE) and potentially hilarious adult comedy (A FISH CALLED WANDA). It's this unbalanced structure that really knocks it down a grade, and it's a brutal drop.
A strong warning to parents: forget the impression given by advertisements, do you want to take your kids to a film that has a woman asking a man if he finds her attractive merely because she's holding his penis? Yes, it's put that bluntly! Just be warned - this is merely one example of the many shocking subjects to be brought up in the film, and others might not be as tame.
February 21, 1998
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