Review of Crocodile Dundee (1986) by Noname   — 29 Nov 2014

"Crocodile Dundee" was the second highest-grossing film of the year, and while that was difficult to understand in 1986, it's almost impossible to comprehend now that I watch it again with a fresh set of eyes. It's your standard fish-out-of-water tale that relies heavily on the considerable charm of its star, but that only takes the film so far.

Paul Hogan came up with the story and stars in the title role, and he's also the primary reason that this was a monster hit. In the second half, when Dundee follows reporter Linda Kozlowski to New York, is obvious and ripe for easy jokes concerning how a Bushman from Australia would view contemporary society. There are some good moments here, and they are the very reason American audiences fell in love with this.

Unfortunately, you have to sit through forty-five minutes of the couple in Hogan's homeland first. There is simply no opportunity for humor the entire time, and although the scenery is pretty, it's a wonder to me that the audience was patient enough to even make it to the New York setting.

And frankly it's a good thing that Hogan is so charismatic in his film debut because Kozlowski has none, and the relationship that apparently develops between them never feels authentic. In fact, there's no clue that it is even going to happen other than the fact that the movie is Americanized enough that it's expected. I think the ending in the subway was going for something similar to the ending of "An Officer and a Gentleman," but this feels phony and forced.

"Crocodile Dundee" gets the credit for starting this country's obsession for all things Australian, but I never saw its appeal. It's an oddity more than anything else.