Crocodile Dundee (1986)

How sad is this?

As Good As It Gets

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Such a classic! Easy watching, quotable lines, a rough around the edges romance, with some great characters

There is no doubt that Crocodile Dundee became an iconic film character because of this film. The phrase "that's not a knife…this is a knife!" (along with a few others) are oft-quoted, and if the movie didn't invent the "country bumpkin comes to the big city" trope, it elevated it to new cinematic heights. That alone is enough to make "Crocodile Dundee" entertaining. Holding the experience back from being an all-time classic, though, is the fact that the film itself really lacks a strong or defined audience base.For a basic plot summary, the film sees journalist Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) on an assignment in Australia, tracking down the infamous Mick "Crocodile" Dundee (Paul Hogan) for a story. After meeting Mick and living in his world (i.e. "the bush") for a little while, Sue becomes smitten with him (in more ways than way). She takes him back to New York City with her, ostensibly to continue her broadening story, but also because he is ever more exciting than her stodgy, socialite fiancée Richard (Mark Blum).The main reason I can give this film as many as six stars is because Hogan's Dundee is goofball humor at its very finest! As a child, I considered it the peak of hilarity, and even as an adult there is something endearing about it. Perhaps the movie, on a deeper level, speaks to the dichotomy between our natural, survival instincts, in comparison to those that must be cultivated for city life. Simply put, it will make you laugh on a number of occasions.Unfortunately, I really can't think of a specific audience for "Crocodile Dundee", and that is why I think it is fading away a bit as time goes by. In all honesty, the humor in the film is rather childish, lending itself to youngsters. At the same time, however, there are some instances/scenes (especially in NYC) that clearly are not made for children. On the other end of the spectrum, there are deep, interesting "city vs. wild" themes in the film for adults, but again the humor is so childish as to render any length of seriousness rather moot.So, I think that the endearing legacy of "Crocodile Dundee" will be the iconic title-named character created by Paul Hogan. If looked strictly through that lens, the film is quite entertaining. Trying to evaluate the film as a whole, however, will produce mostly disappointment (in large part because of a lack of defined audience). If you haven't seen this movie, it is worth watching just to "get" the iconic references. Upon a recent re-watch, I discovered that "child me" held it in higher regard than "adult me".

When you think of memorable 1980's comedies, this one that might come to mind to mind. Revolving around a very colorful, witty and worry-free Australian crocodile poacher(Paul Hogan), it is a feel-good movie filled with many laughs and and witty one-liners.It offers many laughs in the way of culture shock to both the reporter and Dundee himself. Giving not only a glimpse at culture in the outback, but also in bustling Manhattan. Dundee's innocence of adapting to the fast lifestyle of New York is a formula for laughter.Paul Hogan plays a highly likable character, playing off of Linda Kozlowski perfectly, their chemistry is a major contributor to the overall success of this movie. It is filled with scenes of action and comedy, framed into a film that will make you laugh and feel good.7/10

This is a good 1980s comedy from down under, where American reporter Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski) goes to Australia to meet and interview crocodile poacher Michael "Crocodile" Dundee (Paul Hogan) and invites him to New York City, where their cultures clash. The movie is charming and innocently funny as we see Dundee adapt to life in the city. The chemistry with Sue is a very nice touch of romance and blends in well with the comedy. The plot has a good momentum to it; therefore, it is pretty entertaining from start to finish and, like many of the '80s comedies, is one of its kind that has no over-the-top stuff - just adventurous, charming fun.Grade B