Many of us are familiar with Lyle, a friendly crocodile who lived with the Primm family in a house on East 88th Street, but we, of course, have never seen him the way we will see him when the movie “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” appears in theaters on October 7. singer Shawn Mendes plays the main role as the voice of the titular reptile. Based on this casting, you can understand that this children’s story has turned into a full-fledged musical for the big screen with original music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“The Greatest Showman”, “Dear Evan Hanson” and “La La Land”). . The critics had a chance to review the film before it was released, so let’s see what they think.
Along with the pipes of Sean Mendes, among the stars of the live performances of “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” are Winslow Fegley, Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy and the outstanding Brett Gelman from “Very Strange Cases”. Let’s see what the critics are saying, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile.” Our own Sarah El-Mahmoud rates the film 2 stars out of 5, saying that while Bardem is a pleasure, the rest of the film is “solid melody and no chic.” She said:
But while the hybrid adaptation of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile in real time and computer graphics is a well-intentioned family movie that has some quirks and doesn’t take itself too seriously, there’s something missing here. He doesn’t perform that magic trick that movies like Mary Poppins or Paddington did before him— you know, the one that makes some part of you want a crocodile to take a bath in your house.
Robert Abele of The Wrap agrees with the above assessment that Javier Bardem stands out in a film that otherwise seems like just an attempt to cash in on Paddington’s success. The review says:
There must be something at the other end of the quality spectrum, from the joyous beneficial magic of Paddington and this overworked, clumsy teacher creature from Office Christmas Party directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon and screenwriter Will Davis (Flushed Away). ), with a new batch of easily forgotten songs from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“Dear Evan Hansen”, “The Greatest Showman”), as well as possible.
IndieWire’s Jude Dry says this adaptation of a beloved children’s book proves that nothing is safe or sacred in Hollywood. The critic gives Laila, Laila, Crocodile a B-grade, saying:
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is clearly a Hollywood mix of 2022. It combines the fun of a cute animated crocodile with the charm of a musical and adds some weird characters like Hector and Mr. Grumps to make the adults laugh. Pasek and Paul’s smooth-soft songs will get a lot of repeat listens on Spotify from kids who most likely won’t watch the movie. Everything should work on paper. But, as in Hector’s act, it simply lacks this magical factor.
Chase Hutchinson of Collider gave the film a C+ rating, also noting that it lacks the magic needed to leave an unforgettable or nostalgic impression.:
The target demographic of children is more likely to be bored than anything else because of how long it’s been going on. We get glimpses of farce and stupidity, although it’s not enough to truly appreciate more than a fleeting moment. There’s enough material here for about a good 90-minute comedy at the absolute maximum, and the longer it goes on, the more it starts to wear out. For children who grew up on books, little will be recognizable, except for the basic structure of the plot.
Frank Scheck of THR, however, says that children are likely to enjoy the “undeniably charming” crocodile, even if viewers are likely to forget the original music even before they leave the cinema. He says:
It’s all harmless entertainment, containing enough soft laughter and really cute moments (if you can contain your emotions during the reunion scene between Lyle and Hector, you’re made of stronger stuff than me) to entertain the target audience. Adult performers play with good humor, which can be expected, but it doesn’t always work out when actors are forced to do very stupid things. Bardem goes even further, playing entertainingly and clearly enjoying the rare opportunity to be a singer and dancer, although not a very good one.
While critics don’t seem to think this film lives up to the expectations associated with similar nostalgic takeovers like Paddington and other cult children’s films, aspects like Shawn Mendes’ singing voice and Javier Bardem’s acting have been positive takeaways from Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. If you want to accompany the younger members of your family to this musical event, you can do so starting from Friday, October 7. Also be sure to check out our 2022 movie release schedule to find out what else is coming to theaters soon.
