KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Dreyfuss plays James Krippendorf, a recently-widowed, esteemed anthropology professor stuck in a dire dilemma -- he's been providing therapy sessions, food and other necessities for his three kids with the grant money he was given to study an undiscovered tribe in New Guinea. When new faculty member Veronica Micelli (Jenna Elfman) shows up on Krippendorf's doorstep to remind him of a same-day lecture he's slated to give on his discoveries, he harriedly makes up a fictional tribe called the Shelmikedmu (a combination of his children's names). To cement his rather outlandish claims, he sets up a village in his backyard and films his sons and daughter dressed up and acting in alleged Shelmikedmu rituals. But a fellow anthropologist (Lily Tomlin) doubts Krippendorf's claims, and sets off to New Guinea to prove him wrong.
Parents who take their little ones to see "Krippendorf's Tribe" expecting a nice little family movie -- what it's been marketed as -- will be in for an unpleasant awakening, because there are more than a few moments where the material pushes bawdy limits. In fact, take away all the menstruation, circumcision and sexual jokes, the conversation about a "neolithic dildo" and the frequent appearance of Krippendorf's penis sheath (part of his Shelmikedmu costume), and there's really not much substance left to chew on. Don't get me wrong; some of this stuff is funny in a "Dumb and Dumber" kind of way, but did "Krippendorf's Tribe" really have to go so low for laughs?
For a while, Dreyfuss is likeable enough to get us past the fact that James Krippendorf is a cowardly jerk. Then, however, his character starts doing some pretty nasty, undefendable things that he never seems to have to answer for. "Krippendorf's Tribe" might leave a bad taste in your mouth, since it's message appears to be that lying is just fine if you can get away with it. Elfman, the adorable star of TV's "Dharma and Greg," fares just as well as Veronica; that is, she's a lot of fun until the movie turns her into an annoying shrew. Of all the cast, only Lily Tomlin offers a consistent performance, probably because she appears to be aware of the film's farcical tendencies and her role doesn't take a 180-degree turn.
"Krippendorf's Tribe" isn't a bad movie, but it is a terribly misguided one. It gets off to a promising, comfortable start with a few good laughs as the story sets itself up. But things start to go downhill fast after Krippendorf gets Veronica drunk, dresses her up in Shelmikedmu duds and has wild sex with her solely for the purpose of getting some footage of the tribe's "mating rituals." We later learn that his actions are forgivable because she's really in love with him the whole time, but up until this cop-out, the whole situation comes across with undertones of rape. Last I checked, rape is no laughing matter. Neither is too much of "Krippendorf's Tribe."
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