WHAT A CROC
by Catherine Lucy

Paul Hogan returns for the third installment of his Crocodile Dundee series, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. This time around, Mick Dundee (Hogan) is a little older, a little blonder, but not much wiser. He's been living the quiet life in Walkabout Creek with his common law wife Sue (Linda Kozlowski) and their young son Mikey (Serge Cockburn).

When a journalist for Sue's father's newspaper in L.A. is killed in a car accident, Sue flies off to L.A. (with family in tow) to take over temporarily. But once there, she discovers that the journalist's death may not have been an accident after all. Sue investigates a movie studio that, despite having lost money on its only two pictures, is currently making a third installment. Why would they spend money on a losing picture? Are they hiding something, and are they responsible for the journalist's death? Mick Dundee goes undercover as a mole in their studio in order to solve the mystery.

Although the movie's plot leaves little to the imagination, a character such as Mick Dundee should breathe some life into the worst of scripts. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between. There are too few laughs in this film. Some of the better moments occur when old jokes from the previous two movies are recycled, L.A. style. For instance, this time when hoodlums attempt to mug Dundee on the street, they're riding in a souped up classic racecar and have guns. "People must think I'm rich, because I'm always getting mugged," Dundee comments.

Light moments like this infuse some comedy into the film, but it's not enough to win over new fans. For die-hard Dundee fans, the film is worth seeing simply to find out what Mick's been up to. Hogan is his usual charming self as Dundee, but lacks the edge he had in the first film. It seems fatherhood has softened Mick Dundee a tad too much. Kozlowski (Hogan's real-life wife) returns as Sue, but if it weren't for her voice she'd be almost unrecognizable. She sports longer hair and more curves than she did in the 80s, but it's her face that looks quite different - plastic surgery, perhaps? Her role is far removed from the adventure-driven journalist she played in the first two films. In other words, she plays more of a token role in this film.

Cockburn is wonderful as Mikey, and the subplots revolving around him help to make this film kid-friendly. There are also a few cameos by some famous people, but there are not enough of them, nor are the people popular enough to attract many laughs. If Crocodile Dundee were a half-hour series, I think it would fare better than this most recent feature-length venture. This critic longs for the days of his television comedy show, which was packed with many more laughs. If you must see it, rent it on video.

Trailers:

Corky Romano - another lame comedy with an SNL veteran (Chris Kattan). Only the 80s tunes offer a chance to breathe life into this one.

What's the Worst That Could Happen? - despite the awkward title, this comedy with Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito (playing two rival theives) looks like it has potential.

Rush Hour 2 - more of the same from the first film, with Brett Ratner returning as directer, and Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprising their roles.

Tomb Raider - fans of the video game might love this one, but I have no interest in it, and I found the trailer boring and a bit overdone with its Matrix-style cinematography and effects Recurring scenes of Angelina Jolie in tight shirts - to bring the guys in, no doubt.

CineScene, 2001