Jungle 2 Jungle (1997)

20% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(178,259 ratings)

A man finds the son he never knew he had, and a boy discovers a city he never knew existed, in this comedy. Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) is a commodities broker who deals in coffee beans; while on a trip to Brazil, Michael is abandoned by his wife, Patricia (JoBeth Williams), an anthropologist who… More A man finds the son he never knew he had, and a boy discovers a city he never knew existed, in this comedy. Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) is a commodities broker who deals in coffee beans; while on a trip to Brazil, Michael is abandoned by his wife, Patricia (JoBeth Williams), an anthropologist who decides to stay behind to study the indigenous tribespeople of the area. Fourteen years later, Michael has decided to marry his new girlfriend, Charlotte (Lolita Davidovich), but since he never formally divorced Patricia, he must go to Brazil, find her, and get her to sign a divorce agreement. Once he arrives, he discovers that there's a bit of a complication -- Patricia was pregnant at the time she left Michael, and she is now the mother of a 13-year-old son, Mimi-Siku (Sam Huntington). Mimi-Siku is about to undergo the manhood rituals of the tribe that adopted Patricia and himself, and when the leader discovers that the boy's father has arrived, he insists that Mimi-Siku should return to the "Stone Island" of Manhattan to get to know his dad. Arriving in New York City with a loincloth and a blowgun, Mimi-Siku has a lot to learn about living in contemporary America. Charlotte is not too happy about discovering that she's about to be a stepmother, while Richard (Martin Short), Michael's business partner, wishes the boy wouldn't eat the tropical fish from his aquarium. Jungle 2 Jungle is an Americanized remake of the French comedy Un Indien Dans la Ville. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: John Pasquin
Written By: Hervé Palud, Igor Aptekman, Thierry Lhermitte, Philippe Bruneau, Bruce A. Evans
Genres: Comedy, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Mar 7, 1997 Wide
On DVD: Oct 8, 2002

Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
Gently humorous and moving.
Kevin McManus, Washington Post
Roughly half of Tim Allen's latest comedy is hilarious-stupid, and the rest is monotonous-stupid.
Leonard Klady, Variety
Simple truths are often the most effective, but in this instance they are only banal and mildly amusing.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Mildly caustic, sentimental and slow.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Huntington is wonderful at conveying Mimi's combination of naivete and intelligence, and Allen is a marvel.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Jungle 2 Jungle still finds time to appreciate Mr. Allen's easy way with a child actor, an audience or a heavily tranquilized pet cat.
Common Sense Media Editors, Common Sense Media
Silly farce about a jungle boy in New York.
Richard Luck, Film4
Now if only it was even slightly better than those examples of Hollywood at its laziest.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This very Disney treatment of the classic fish out of water story ought to satisfy its intended audiences: kids and the parents who must accompany them.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Typically for Disney, the villains aren't made of very stern stuff, nor indeed is fey spear-carrying Mimi-Siku.
John Wirt, Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)
A fairly awful Tim Allen comedy.
Leonard Schwarz, Palo Alto Weekly
If you care at all about surface plausibility, adults who act like adults, or emotions that exist anywhere other than in manipulative movies, spare yourself and spare your family.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
It's a good cast. The movie uses the physical comedy talents of Short and Allen to good advantage.
Margaret A. McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer
You'd think someone would have figured out by now that putting a big TV star in a lame movie doesn't make the movie any better.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Mildly entertaining comedy about a father-son reunion.

Read all 15 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

Jungle 2 Jungle is the definition of a bad film. This film is awful, unfunny, poorly conceived. I remember when this film came out, I was 12 and obviously still into these types of films. Needless to say when this came out, boy did I think it was crap. The film was so poorly made,… More
Jungle 2 Jungle is the definition of a bad film. This film is awful, unfunny, poorly conceived. I remember when this film came out, I was 12 and obviously still into these types of films. Needless to say when this came out, boy did I think it was crap. The film was so poorly made, with a bad cast (Tim Allen wasted here) and a bad story with little or no jokes. This is simply a poorly made family film that is quite frankly impossible to enjoy as a family. Well, Disney has a knack for releasing awful films as well as good ones. But this is one of those awful films that they released that should be avoided. The film is plainly bad, and has nothing engaging about its plot, nothing to make you interested in what you're watching. This is simply put a bad family that isn't worth watching and if you did, is a most forgettable film to watch. I hated this film, hated the fact it was unfunny, hated the bad actors and bad plot overall. This film was a waste and it wasn't worth watching whatsoever. This film scraps the bottom of the barrel of bad ideas, and it's a film that doesn't deliver whatsoever. There are some sloppy comedic bits that simply aren't funny, and the script is plainly awful. This is one of the worst family films that I've seen, and this is simply a film not worth watching. Jungle 2 Jungle is a waste of celluloid and is utter garbage. I hated this film and the cast is pathetic along with the story. A crapfest from start to finish.
AJ V

I actually liked this movie when I was a kid, I thought it was really funny, and it has some of the actors from Home Improvement. But now I see how stupid it really is. Overall it's a pretty good kids movie, though.
Lucas M

Good concept, not so good script, weak film.
Conner R

Very odd Disney adventure, it almost has to be seen back to back with George of the Jungle. Both deal with a savage in the concrete jungle. It serves its purpose as a father/son movie as well as a zany comedy with lots of kooky escapades featuring Tim Allen.
Tim S

Meh.
Lenny M

I used to think this was the shizzz in '97 however I now realize that this movie is soooo racist!
KJ P

A funny comedy that has a lot of heart at points! I loved this film when I was growing up! As I do now!
Wahida K

I like Movies with Tim Allen in them, they are always tiny bit stupid and funny. Tool Time alike. lol
Jason O

Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) is an executive who is planning on getting married real soon. But in order to get married he has to travel to the Amazon and find his wife (JoBeth Williams) and let her sign the divorce papers. When he travels to the Amazon and finds his wife, Michael… More
Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) is an executive who is planning on getting married real soon. But in order to get married he has to travel to the Amazon and find his wife (JoBeth Williams) and let her sign the divorce papers. When he travels to the Amazon and finds his wife, Michael finds out that he has a son. His son, Mimi-Siku (Sam Huntington) is a little bit different since he has been in the Amazon all his life. Mimi-Siku does such things as eat lizard guts and shoot flies with great skill. Michael promises Mimi-Siku to take him to New York when he becomes a man, but Michael doesn't know that on that island, his son will be a man in a matter of minutes. Now it's time to see how his son from the Amazon will do in the United States. "Jungle 2 Jungle" isn't one of the best movies ever made, but it is pretty good. It has a good story and decent acting, but what makes it good is that it's hilarious. One of the funniest parts is when a huge tarantula chases Tim Allen around the beach. Scattered parts of the movie are hilarious, but it also has its serious parts along with the hilarious outbursts. I recommend anybody who likes good comedy movies to get "Jungle 2 Jungle." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
Lady D

An enjoyable children?s film with a fun storyline, predictable, but entertaining.
Candy R

Tim is a successful broker in New York. He finds out he has a teenage son who grew up in the jungle. He tries to help his son adjust to new york life with funny consequences.
Rachel F

Really funny. Martin Short is hilarious in this film.
Bobby H

I used to watch this movie, almost everynight as a kid, and it really never got old. It's a bit out there at times, and a bit kidish, but, I think that was the whole point of it (its disney afterall). Tim Allen is great, and the movie itself is hilarious.
Jennifer X

this is AWFUL. entirely not funny.
xGary X

Self absorbed big city shark Tim Allen is taught the inevitable life lessons by a long lost son who was brought up in the wilderness blah blah blah. Utterly predictable fish out of water comedy that's lacks the wit and charm of the similar Crocodile Dundee.
Dean M

This outrageously comedy film is unmistakably wild of laughs.
Deb S

Tim Allen is a workaholic trader in New York whose world is rocked when he discovers that he has a 13-year-old-son, who has been raised in the Venezuelan jungle. His son is wishes to see the city with his father but knows nothing of civilization; therefore everything he does is based… More
Tim Allen is a workaholic trader in New York whose world is rocked when he discovers that he has a 13-year-old-son, who has been raised in the Venezuelan jungle. His son is wishes to see the city with his father but knows nothing of civilization; therefore everything he does is based on how he would do it in the wilds. In other words, he turns his dad's life upside down, causing him a world of stress and aggravation. Very funny film and Sam Huntington is adorable as the little jungle boy, Mimi, and the young Leelee Sobieski as his love interest is oh so sweet.
Joseph E

I think that "The Santa Clause" wasn't even as good as "Jungle 2 Jungle", yet both films were your average laugh fest, good for an uplifting moment.
Yinalí R

Love it!!!
Andrew F

I kind of liked it. It's an okay comedy.