User reviews

Two childhood friends, a New York hairstylist and a would-be musician, get caught up with the mob and are forced to deliver $50,000 to Australia, but things go haywire when the money is lost to a wild kangaroo.

This film is notorious for its deceptive advertising. Everyone thought it would be about a talking kangaroo. And, after all, the film is called "Kangaroo jack", so it makes sense you would expect the lead character to be the kangaroo. But, in fact, the kangaroo does not talk, and has a relatively small part to play in the movie (even if he is the key figure to the whole plot).

If you keep your expectations low, this is actually a fun film. Very predictable, sort of stupid, but watch it with some friends and you might just have a fun time. And it is pretty wholesome for the most part. Some mild violence, a bit of forced romance, but nothing too adult and hardly any curse words. That seems to be more and more rare these days (2015).

As a special treat, one of the supporting cast members is Michael Shannon (and Christopher Walken has a small part). This is before Shannon really got noticed or came to be respected as a critical success. Watch him in this role, though. Despite it being a pretty awful film, Shannon shines. He gives it 100% even when Jerry O'Connell is happy just to get a paycheck.

RELEASED IN 2003 and directed by David McNally, "Kangaroo Jack" is a family-friendly adventure/comedy about two Brooklyn friends (Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson) who are commissioned by a mob boss (Christopher Walken) to deliver $50,000 to a shady character in the Outback. The operation goes awry when a kangaroo inadvertently runs off with one of the guys' jacket... and the money. Michael Shannon is on hand as a mob heavy.

This is a likable, amusing adventure flick with the typical eye-rolling kid humor (e.g. fart jokes). It's fun, harmless hokum highlighted by spectacular Australian cinematography and the beautiful Estella Warren as an Outback preservationist. The humorous camaraderie of the protagonists is another highpoint. But the story isn't as compelling as I hoped it would be and the camera never really captures Estella's beauty beyond her lovely face and pulchritude.

THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 29 minutes and was shot in Australia and Brooklyn with reshoots done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: C

Get stoned and watch this movie. You'll laugh a lot for sure! But nevertheless, it does not deserve this much hate? Of course plot holes, corny parts, but damn Anthony Anderson is hilarious, Michael Shannon is always awesome... COME ON!

Regardless of its faults, my 7 year old daughter and I had fun and enjoyed the movie, which is what counts. Obviously, the movie is not intended to be a masterpiece or believable, but children will find it very funny and adults may enjoy it too.

Let's get to the point. Kangaroo Jack is necessarily the worst film of all time, but neither is it the greatest. It's not even close. What it is though is fairly humorous, though usually silly.

The story is a bit good at parts, but far-fetched at others. Charlie and Louis were best friends ever since childhood, after one saved another from drowning. One of their fathers was a gangster or something, and the two are sent with a job to deliver the money to some other dude. The story isn't quite a bad one, and does take a little twist. (The twist is related to the job.) The main flaw in the story is that the movie is supposedly aimed at kids. Do you think kids will understand anything about mafia or anything like that?

Despite that, there are other moments not aimed at kids. One of the jokes includes Charlie grabbing on of the other character's chest. Another scene includes a homophobic joke. ("We're having an intimate, non-gay moment.) The film is a bit funny and entertaining, but the farting and homophobic jokes, along with the strange storyline makes it less than what it could have been, but I still enjoyed it more than other films such as The Cat in the Hat, Scary Movie and Dude, Where's My Car?

5/10

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I was fooled by the packaging. I expected the movie to be about a kangaroo. It was - but just barely. I even thought it would be about a talking kangaroo. It was - but only for a moment. It was advertised as fodder for kids. Well, it tends to remain in the general audience vein with brief strays into light-hearted sexual innuendo. No, here the kangaroo is simply incidental to the actual story which isn't that compelling to start with. It is mostly a CGI kangaroo and not always a very good one. When the animal is actually on the screen it tends to almost be annoying because it tends to come across as a commercial. Sort of like .... meanwhile, here is what the kangaroo is doing. It breaks up the storyline with somewhat lame attempts at the kangaroo trying to be funny. Completely unnecessary. As for the story - it could have actually been a good Mafia-lite film in a way. The resulting revelation about the purpose of the kangaroo hijacked envelope of money was the most interesting part of the film. There are some amusing sequences but nearly none have anything to do with the kangaroo. Why was the kangaroo billed as the star? I don't know. Even as the film ends the kangaroo soliloquies that he is the star and finally gets to performing in the way I originally thought the film was going to convey. By the end of the film I felt somewhat betrayed. I was waiting for a kangaroo that never really happened.

To be honest "Kangaroo Jack" isn't an horrible movie. It has some solid main characters and some good comical moments and situations but it is all ruined by the story that is totally without a point and lame. Who ever green-lighted this project?

Even though he plays obviously a quite prominent role in the movie, the character of Kangaroo Jack feels totally out of place and not relevant for the movie. He feels totally pointless and makes the movie a very lame one to watch at times with some easy and childish humor and situations in it. Without his character this movie probably would had been a better one and certainly a more watchable one.

The actors Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson really don't form a bad comical duo but they are truly given awful material to work with at times. The movie feels like a waste of the two main characters. And what ever was Christopher Walken thinking? I still can't believe that he agreed to play a part in this movie. It's like having Marlon Brando in "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Totally out of place and below his professional level.

The movie is good looking and it's obvious that director David McNally still has a notable talent for movie making. He still adds feeling and style to the movie even though it can't all conceal the movie its lame and pointless story.

It's still good for a few laughs but it overall has more minuses than pluses in it, so I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone unless you're really bored.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

I heard a story about the making of the film Kangaroo Jack. It was a dark story about mobsters putting out a hit on two young dudes who have been sent to the Australian outback who then inadvertently run over a Kangaroo.

Test audiences were rather negative about the film but the feedback was that it could do with more kangaroo scenes and more comedy and the film was reshot, recut and marketed as a silly action comedy.

Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren star in Kangaroo Jack with a cameo from Christopher Walken and an early appearance by Michael Shannon.

Charlie Carbon (O'Connell) and Louis Booker (Anderson) became best buddies when Booker saved Carbon from drowning when he was a kid. Since then Booker has always got Carbon in trouble and in the latest escapade, both end up in trouble with Carbon's stepfather (Walken) a local mobster.

To make amends they are sent to Australia to deliver a package but when they run over a kangaroo and put on a jacket on it to take pictures. The kangaroo revives and runs off wearing the jacket and with the package in the pocket. Before long they are being pursued by the people who were due to receive the package and Walken send some goons down under as well.

Its actually undemanding fun and I rather enjoyed it. Its a silly romp, O'Connell and Anderson spark off each other, Warren is very appealing and the kangaroo provides the bounce.

This movie was targeted for kids, but I will be honest and if I had taken kids to see this movie, I would have taken them out of the theater. It is ridiculous how everyone tries to capitalize on sex in the media today. What is our society coming to when a children's movie has to be filled with sexual references? What need is there for a hot girl in a wet white shirt in a scene that would excite any young teenager? Also the movie trailers made the movie seem like it focused mainly on the kangaroo, while the kangaroo was hardly in the movie at all. I will admit I found parts of the movie funny. I would only recommend this movie to college students who want a good laugh. Most people have been voting this movie a 1 because it is not their type of movie. I am voting this movie a 1 because it is a children's movie that is not suited for children to watch.

I am very hard on Movies and will admit that this is a Silly kind of movie but it was easy to follow and was in all honesty, very, very funny. Better than most Adam Sandler movies and minus all the language and sexual content that Sandler and others seem to sneak into movies they try and sell to "kids". This is a typical O'Connell role and he plays it well. Estella Warren spices it up and keeps her integrity as an actress in check. She looks good no matter what she does anyway but the movie does not lower her standards at all. It is a great movie for the adults to laugh with and the kids in the theatre were having a blast. Plus, anytime Movie Critics trash a film, the odds are it will be a weekend Number #1 movie and you will like it. It did $18 million on the open and will clear $40 mil easily. Not bad for the budget it was made with. Good Job Bruck... 6 stars out of 10....

Have a great time and don't be to picky or critical. It is a movie about a Kangaroo after all!!

I know...ten stars seems excessive, but this is one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen. Top five.

I'm watching this movie as I write this. I've seen it a couple of times, and I swear it gets better every time I see it. It only got one star out of four, which is the worst it can possibly get, and I understand that...really, it is not the most intelligent movie in the world. However, if you feel like kicking back and relaxing, you feel like watching a movie that doesn't provoke thought or discussion, you feel like laughing hysterically, this movie's for you. I'll admit that the entire premise of this movie is dumb, but it's funny, genuinely funny, and I love it.

Truly, can Jerry Bruckheimer keep ruining his career? Pirattes of the Caribbean better be good, or he won't be able to churn out the inevitable sequel which will most likely follow this gutter trash. Man, what can you not put down about this movie? You can start off with the pitiful Jerry O'Connell, round it off with a dull and obnoxious Anthony Anderson, add in a `What the hell?' factor with Christopher Walken, and you clearly have one of those movies which makes you want to put your money in a slot machine, because it would most likely be put to better use. I just want to know how in the world did this movie lead the box office?

Seriously, this movie is the best one ever.

It inspired my life dream of traveling to Australia to adopt baby kangaroos. This movie DOES NOT deserve a 4.4/10, it deserves a 14.4/10!!!!!!!! I couldn't love this movie more, it was totally fire and interesting and artistic and amazing and fantastic.

If people can't the artistic genius found in this movie you're nuts! Anyways go and watch this movie. it will be the best decision you will ever have made Get your life together people...Comments like "piss poor directing" and "foully awful acting are out of line.

Keep up the amazing work David McNally

If you have never been to Australia then you might be forgiven for thinking this could be how it really is "Down Under". But for anyone who lives here or has visited, then you know that this movie takes a very large (intentional I hope) swing at Australianisms (just made that word up!). If anyone out there thinks you can drive out of Sydney and be in the outback in anything less than 3 or 4 days (let alone later that day) then you are kidding yourself. Just have a look at the map where Alice Springs is in relation to Sydney, or Coober Pedy for that matter. Having said that and ignoring the blatant overuse of Aussie slang this movie has it's moments and would be sure to give most people a few laughs.

Not the best comedy ever made but worth a look for a family outing

Whatever redeeming features this movie may have (and it is arguable whether such features exist) are negated by the gratuitous and tasteless way in which the characters make fun of a person with epilepsy.

People with epilepsy struggle constantly to overcome misconceptions about their disease. Consider a young kid that has to deal with peers making fun of them in the classroom on a regular basis, and consider how this movie makes matters worse by portraying (mostly to kids) epilepsy as something to laugh at.

More often than not, the studio behind a feature film will alter said feature in an attempt to improve its tone for a different audience, but seldom does it work out successfully. In the case of Kangaroo Jack, what started off as a PG-13 mob comedy known as Down & Under ended up transitioning into a PG family friendly crime comedy that tried focusing too much of its market value on a CGI rapping marsupial. Despite the film making a modest financial impact and a direct to DVD animated sequel, it was heavily panned on its release and is often regarded as one of the worst comedies in recent years, and for every reason imaginable.

The main premise revolves around childhood friends Charlie Carbone and Louis Booker, who end up having to take money from Charlie's mob boss stepfather Sal Maggio and travel with it to Australia to deliver it to the proper folks. However, they accidentally run over a kangaroo along their way, only for the marsupial to run away with Louis's red jacket with the money in it. While that premise sounds ridiculous on its own, the movie itself has a whole other load of problems. Even though one would imagine the feature put a huge emphasis on the kangaroo that snatched away mafia money, the focus is instead given to Charlie and Louis, who are both horrendously irritating as leads, not helped by Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson's obnoxious overacting. Based on what the film was supposed to be initially, the biggest sin Kangaroo Jack has ever committed is false marketing. Not only does the kangaroo barely appear in the movie as a whole, but its lack of screentime means less comical fun time for a younger audience and more shocking innuendos than expected.

As a result of the emphasis being on the general narrative, which is fairly predictable in its own right, the comedy is another rotten stain on the feature's core. Despite the studio editing out a lot of heavily mature content for the final cut, there's still a lot of disgusting college dorm room banter, bathroom talk, juvenile antics and even inappropriate gropes that make one wonder how any family audience could sit through a film like this. Given that this was a Jerry Bruckheimer production, the expectation of a more mature comedy film would be more fitting, but alas, rapping kangaroos took away the appeal. Not to mention, actors like Christopher Walken, Michael Shannon and Marton Csokas play their roles in such a serious tone that the family movie market feels completely out of place already. Also, Estella Warren is just there as a bland hot trope for Charlie to fall for that happens to be part of an Outback Wildlife Foundation. Thanks to its false advertising and insipid humor, what we have are a cast of characters neither interesting nor tolerable enough to warrant any admiration.

If there's any credit to give Kangaroo Jack, at least the occasional CG animation of Jack himself is really well done, helped especially by an out of nowhere mirage sequence playing Rapper's Delight that was used to heavily market the feature. Despite at times feeling out of place in the otherwise well shot landscapes of outer Australia, the VFX crew behind the red sweatered kangaroo did a nice job giving life to a character that otherwise shouldn't have been the focus of the movie. Also, the soundtrack itself is a nice addition to a horrendously unfunny movie that is in desperate need of musical appeal. Sadly, that's where the positives end, as even those fun songs every now and then aren't enough to make up for the film's sporadic editing that either feels too rushed for its own good or too slow to make use of traveling transitions (with obvious stock footage too). Based on that factor alone, it feels like the filmmakers had no choice but to rush the theatrical version out as fast as possible, which is a shame considering what might've been an at least more understandable premise than what the public got.

It's really sad that the end result of Kangaroo Jack became what it is now, because had Bruckheimer Films just been honest about what it was meant to be, perhaps it wouldn't have been regarded as such a low point in the company's logline. Instead, what we have is a terrible crime caper that pretends to feature a barely existent title character, induces more groans than giggles, features blandly unsympathetic leads and only the occasional charming effect here and there. Unless you enjoy watching movies sardonically, it's best to skip this flick and keep it away from children at all costs. The last thing our generation needs today is to be tricked into seeing a rapping kangaroo comedy anyway.

I have seen Kangaroo Jack lots of times and it ALWAYS makes me laugh, and when I say ALWAYS, means every time I see it! It's all about your point of view.

This is a movie to watch with your family and have some fun together. You can't see it expecting a masterpiece.

I don't know, but this movie is not that bad as everyone here is saying. I found it interesting and hilarious, still one of my favourites comedies. I watched it when I was 11 and loved it and still laughing with it, isn't that great? Deserves a better rating, but w/e.

7/10. Still a good comedy.

The people responsible for this should be tried for crimes against humanity.

The whole premise of this film* is based on an urban myth. Thats not the only myth. That this is a film is a myth.

If it seemed to be aimed at kids it would still be no excuse for the effort we are shown. I know there are lots of dumb guy movies such as any L&H and Dumb and Dumber which is a masterpiece in comparison. The two main characters were instantly dis likable and remained so throughout. I cant think of anything else, it depresses me too much.

*film = entertaining and professionally made cinematographic art.

Watched this movie religiously as a kid, therefore I cannot critically judge it without being completely soaked in nostalgia. Still, hilarious movie and a must watch for kids.

Michael Shannon really shines as the villain of this film, next to only Anthony Anderson in what he brings as the other main role. The two main actors play a great duo. I always get a good laugh out of this movie, especially the waterfall scene, can't say why other than it's just fun.

If you are looking for a feel good movie worth a few good laughs to take your mind off things then this is the movie for you my easygoing amigo.

Can't belive this movie still has a 4 rating! I've seen it bout 4 times over the Yrs, and just watched it with my 6 yrs old this eve, and he really enjoyed it too! What's wrong with ye!? :D. It's just silly fun... Looks great too!!

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer adapts his buddy formula for the adolescent set and the result is pretty much what you'd expect from him: an attempt to push the envelope by delivering enough sex and violence to titillate the pre-teens who are likely to be the primary audience and who will know something funky's going on even if they don't get it. Other than that, there's really nothing left to comment on in this chase comedy about a kangaroo that's holding fifty thousand dollars worth of mob money in the Australian outback. It's not bad, necessarily (the kids will love it and the digital effects as far as the kangaroo is concerned are okay), but it's not good either: everything wallows in mediocrity, from the unfunny script (by Steve Bing and Scott Rosenberg, one of the writers of `High Fidelity') that can't even provide decent scatological humor to David NcNally's faceless direction to the blank performances by leads Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson and Estella Warren. Even the chase scenes drone on and on. About the only things of interest are wondering how low Christopher Walken can go for a paycheck and marveling at Dyan Cannon's remarkable sixty-five year old body (even though she's only in the movie about fifteen seconds).