Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Review by Jason Donner

Back in the eighties Americans had a fascination with Australia. A young Aussie named Mel Gibson was quickly shooting to super stardom, some weirdo named Yahoo Serious was re-telling the story of Albert Einstein, and a man named Paul Hogan introduced us to a modern day Tarzan named Michael J. "Crocodile" Dundee.

The first two Crocodile Dundee movies were a smash both in profit and in storytelling. The first was a cute fish out of water story and the second was a harrowing adventure as the Aussie terminator took on drug dealers. Yessiree, Mic Dundee was a hit and it looked like nothing could keep him down.

And then America's fascination with Australia ended and Paul Hogan was sent packing. End of story.

Or so we thought. For in the first year of the twenty-first century, Mic Dundee was about to make a comeback in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles.

Mic Dundee has returned which begs the inevitable question... WHY!?

Don't get me wrong, back in the days of Toto, big hair, and "where's the beef?" I was as big a fan of Crocodile Dundee as anyone. Hell, to a degree I still am. But what possible use is Mic Dundee in the 21st century? Surly by now he's learned the way of the world and wouldn't be confused by escalators, urinals, or punk rockers!  Right?

But that's where we're all wrong. Mic Dundee is still as socially retarded as he was in the eighties and his brings with him that whole fish out of water shtick that, by now, has gone seriously stale.

To make matters worse, Mic and his sweetie have bumped uglies and punched out an annoying brat of a kid who is also thrown into the mix. Didn't these people learn anything from Episode I or The Mummy Returns? Cute kids are a hindrance on motion pictures and all annoyingly cute child stars should be eradicated!

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is nostalgic, but nothing really else. Mic Dundee is once again indestructible and cool under pressure, but still a dunderhead when it comes to navigating in the big city. Sorry folks, but Dundee 3 is a Crock-o-Dull.

However, with the growing popularity of Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe, and Hugh Jackman... it looks like America's fascination with the land down under is undergoing a rebirth. Perhaps, in time... there will be a place for Crocodile Dundee in our hearts again.

But definitely not Yahoo Serious.