George of the Jungle

Christian Century, July 30, 1997 by James M. Wall

It is time once again to evaluate summer movies. But first a necessary digression to help us identify the good, the bad and the mediocre among these films. A friend of mine is a political strategist. After one of his clients came to town recently, my friend complained that it wasn't until right up to the last minute that the trip's "substance" was worked out. I had to admit that I hadn't heard the term "substance" used that way before, so he explained:

"When you do advance work for politicians, you separate issue events from political events. Or as they are called these days, stops that involve substance and those that are strictly `fluff.' You send your guy to buy a hot dog on a street corner (that's fluff) and he is on the evening news, but substance impresses the `goo-goos,' the good government types, which includes all those talking heads on the Sunday morning TV shows, and for substance you give a speech on foreign policy or education."

Of course, when planning a trip that pushes education, the best strategist makes sure that his hot-dog salesman just happens to be studying for her master's at night school. Which brings us back to the summer movies. Fluff and substance happily coexist in some, though not nearly enough, of the summer favorites. Consider one of the fluffier new releases, George of the Jungle, a Disney product that transforms a '60s cartoon show into a nicely paced live-action spoof of the old B movies about darkest Africa.

At the heart of George is a concept that presumes adult viewers will remember the obnoxious and politically incorrect colonialism of films that featured stuffy Britts, gullible young women, and subservient black baggage-handlers in Africa, stumbling through the jungle in search of some mysterious quarry. In George the search is for the "white gorilla," who, as it turns out, is a Tarzan-like character, a clumsy innocent surrounded by wise animals who wince each time he soars through the air and crashes into trees. (If you have forgotten the original cartoon, you may remember the song "George of the Jungle," which concludes with "Watch out for that tree.")

In a film that appears to be all fluff, a touch of substance is provided by the sly humor that pokes affectionate fun at the genre of the jungle movie. Adding to the fun is a supporting cast of animals headed by a glasses-wearing, housekeeping ape (named "Ape") who speaks in the measured tones of John Cleese, and an elephant who thinks he is a dog. The baggage-handlers speak in their "native tongue" with subtitles that ridicule the pomposity of their employer.

Indeed, George evokes every cliche of the genre, from the heroine's unhappy engagement to her pompous suitor, to her quick Jane-like adjustment to life in the jungle with George. The film's humor, moreover, is genre and event-oriented -- a refreshing departure from so many recent films that strain for humor derived from sexual and other bodily functions.

While appropriate for school-age children, George will not disappoint parents and grandparents. They will resonate to the subtle references to other films, including a closing scene that recalls The Lion King, and another that evokes Barbra Streisand's boat ride down the Hudson in Funny Girl. (There is also a band of drummer gorillas that will remind older viewers of those classic Ernie Kovaks TV skits.)

In fact, this film contains so many surprising touches and reminders that life can be fun that one senses the filmmakers not only enjoy their work but also respect their craft. The film's narrator is a key player in the plot, a storyteller who reassures the children and amuses the adults. Finally, let this be a film you refuse to leave until all the credits have been shown; you will be rewarded.