Movie Guys: Jive ‘Tribe’ a lame loser

Dave

Friday, Feb. 27, 1998 | 9:51 a.m.

* Grades: Jeff, D; Dave, D+.

* Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Jenna Elfman, Natasha Lyonne and Lilly Tomlin.

* Screenplay: Charlie Peters.

* Director: Todd Holland.

* Rated: PG-13 for adult situations and mild profanity.

* Running time: 94 minutes.

Synopsis: For the past two years, Dr. Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) has been living off a Proxmire Foundation grant to study an "undiscovered" tribe in New Guinea. Now that his lecture is due, he is anything but ready. There is no tribe and he's spent all the money raising his dysfunctional children. He begs his children for help in concocting a scheme to film the fictional tribe -- the Shellmikedmu -- named after his own kids: Shelly, Mickey and Edmund.

Jeff: I will now call into play my years of experience as a film critic, my vast writing vocabulary and my tremendous flair for detail to describe "Krippendorf's Tribe": It stinks.

Dave: The funny thing, Jeff, is that no amount of education and critical experience can truly define this film better than your simple comment. Talk about a formulaic film, "Krippendorf's Tribe" is the type of harmless humor that begs for a laugh. Sure, every now and again you'll catch yourself smiling slightly or chuckling mildly, but that is the movie playing your sympathy strings -- or its lame attempt to keep your interest in an otherwise overdone storyline.

Jeff: I wish I could say I even chuckled. The root of the problem is the story. It's been done to death. Krippendorf has to present a lecture on a tribe that doesn't exist so he can remain out of jail and save his career. What unfolds is nothing but a string of ridiculous situations combined with lame performances.

He fakes his way through the lecture, then he films his family posing as the lost tribe, complete with the circumcision ritual and pig urine fertility dance. The laughs are still missing when Krippendorf -- dressed as the tribal chief -- is spotted by the university president. She uses her power to get him booked on a national talk show. Can you just imagine the laughs? You'll have too, because they don't exist.

Dave: It is surprising that the talented Dreyfuss, whose comedy successes include "What About Bob?," "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and "The Goodbye Girl" (for which he received the Oscar for best actor in 1978), would take on such a project and not be able to lend any comical contribution. It is a mystery to me what this prestigious actor was thinking. For example: Prof. Krippendorf was made up as a tribesman of the Shelmikedmu, the made-up tribe of his exploration, and parades around like a silly oaf -- sorry kids, but that ain't funny! The act becomes tiresome and a tad redundant.

Jeff: The whole mess concludes when Krippendorf must accept a new grant check with the tribal chief at a university fund- raiser. How can he be in the same place at the same time? Well, true to the "Mrs. Doubtfire" tradition, he changes back and forth between his clothes and tribal costume in hopes of pulling off the greatest fraud in the history of anthropology.

The heart of the story was to bring his dysfunctional family together in a time of crisis. But in pursuit of saving his family, Krippendorf gives up everything he has worked for -- his credibility as an anthropologist and respect among his peers -- so you can't help wondering why he would do such a thing. Because he couldn't pay his mortgage? All the characters in the movie are such simpletons, being duped by an obvious scam artist. Wake up! Krippendorf even resorts to taking advantage of his over-anxious colleague, Veronica Micelli (amusingly played by Jeanna Elfman of TV's "Dharma & Greg"), by taping their lovemaking and passing it off as a Shelmikedmu mating ritual. Krippendorf is a degenerate.

Dave: However, in defense of the cast, the script is by one of Hollywood's most prolific screenwriters. Charlie Peters needs to take some of the heat for this lackluster comedy. By placing Krippendorf in a career-threatening situation, his drastic actions result in his family reuniting and growing closer together.

As Jeff pointed out, the movie sways away from that point and becomes a weak attempt at what I guess is "tribal humor." The sentimentality would have played better in a darker comedy, but instead, Peters adds light humor and predictable frills. In addition, inspiring director Todd Holland (best known as an award-winning series director for HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show") wastes his creative skills on what is unfortunately a huge disappointment.

Jeff: Hey, Dave! Don't forget our villain. Krippendorf's opponent is Dr. Ruth Allen (Lilly Tomlin), who travels to New Guinea to prove the Shelmikedmu doesn't exist and reveal Krippendorf as a fraud. It's a race to the truth. Tomiln's established comedic abilities prove futile in trying to raise this comedy from the grave and Tomlin resorts to carrying around a monkey as a personal assistant. Anything for a laugh.

Krippendorf's family is a talented group of young actors, of whom the standout is 14-year-old Gregory Smith, who looks amazingly like a teenage David Duchovny. In all, "Krippendorf's Tribe" is a witless, laughless comedy that relies on bathroom humor and an unwilling suspension of disbelief. "Krippendorf's Tribe" should have remained undiscovered.

MOVIE BUZZ

Okay, all you video game addicts -- here's the scoop on three popular shoot-'em-ups that are headed for the big screen:

* Duke Nukem: Threshold Entertainment announced this week that it intends to "translate" popular video game character Duke Nukem into film, TV and home video versions. The company said it had formed an alliance with GT Interactive Software and game developer 3D Realms to produce a film, featuring the character, that will employ digital imagery. No word on when production will begin, but we've heard rumors that Duke will carry some sort of guns in the movie! You think?

* Wing Commander: Freddie Prinze Jr. and Malcolm McDowell are set to begin shooting the silver screen version of the sci-fi video game. In the far-off future, space-faring humans encounter a hostile race of cat-like warrior aliens known as the Kilrathi. We follow the war's course through the eyes of rookie space pilot Christopher Blair, who experiences both victory and loss with his other wingmen. Look for a late '98/early '99 release.

* Tomb Raider: Everyone's favorite virtual sex symbol/adventurer Lara Croft may soon make her big screen debut. Lara's work takes her to dangerous and mysterious locales around the globe, searching for mysterious artifacts. There's a great deal of interest in turning Lara's guns-a-blazing cyber-self into a live-action action flick, but so far no studio has snapped up the rights. Rumors have already circulated that British bombshell Elizabeth Hurley (most recently seen in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery") will nab the role of Lara. Only time will tell.

NEW ON VIDEO

"Out to Sea"(Twentieth Century Fox Video; Rated PG; VHS/Laserdisc /DVD; Grade, B): "Grumpy Old Men" Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau sign on as dance instructors on a luxury cruise line and the trip is anything but calm. Matthau plays a goldigger who relentlessly pursues wealthy socialite Dyan Cannon, and Lemmon is a widower who finds love for a second time on the waves. "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Brent Spiner plays a sleazy, sadistic cruise director. His performance has to been seen to be believed. Pack up your Dramamine and your Ben-Gay and catch two comic masters who can still deliver laughs on land and sea. Don't worry: Neither Richard Simmons or Kathie Lee are anywhere on board.

"The Edge"(Twentieth Century Fox Video; Rated R; VHS/Laserdisc/ DVD; Grade, B+): In this story of man against nature, an intellectual billionaire (Anthony Hopkins) and a fashion photographer (Alec Baldwin) -- who seems to have the hots for Hopkins' model-like wife (Elle MacPherson) -- survive a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. They have to depend on one another for survival, facing everything from treacherous territories to a man-eating bear. The two combine their mental and physical strength in order to survive nature's brutal elements -- and each other's suspicions.

Writer David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross") delivers a suburb script with sound dialogue that mirrors the film's environmental surroundings. The intense direction by Lee Tamahori ("Once Were Warriors") is magnificent, allowing Hopkins and Baldwin to give inspired performances. However, it is Bart the Bear who really steals the show.

VIEWPOINT

We continue our look at the upcoming 70th annual Academy Awards, with some interesting facts about this year's nominations:

"Titanic" ties the record set in 1950 for the most nominations for one film. "All About Eve" was the undisputed champ with 14 nominations for 48 years. ... Woody Allen's 13th writing nomination this year breaks Billy Wilder's previous record of 12 nominations. ... Jack Nicholson's 11th acting nomination this year sets the record for most nominations for a male performer. Previously, he was tied at 10 with Laurence Olivier. Bette Davis and Meryl Streep also have 10 acting nominations on the female side -- only Katharine Hepburn, with 12, has more nominations. ...

The nominations of Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart ("Titanic") represent the first time in Academy history that two performers have been nominated for playing the same character in the same year. ... This is the second time in the past three years that all five of the directing nominees have been first-time nominees and none of the 20 acting nominees were nominated last year. ...

The two (living) people with the most Oscars -- Dennis Muren for visual effects and Alan Menken for music, both with eight statuettes -- are both nominees this year. ... Finally, with her third consecutive nomination, Anna Behlmer remains the only woman ever nominated in the sound category.

NAME THAT FLICK

And the winner is: James Carter, who was the first to identify last week's quote -- "They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body -- not my obedience" -- as being spoken by Oscar- winner Ben Kingsley in the Oscar-winner "Ghandi." No need to go on a hunger strike, James, you won!

As for this week, what (yes, Oscar-winning) actor said this and in which (yup -- Oscar-winning) movie: "It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." Have you heard it before? If you have, call us at 225-9026 or e-mail us at movieguys5@aol.com. Be sure to spell your name and leave a daytime phone number, and if you're the first one to correctly ID it, we will print your name right here in our column. (Just think how famous you'll become -- look what it did for The Movie Guys!)

See you next week.

And remember: Keep your feet off the seats.

Thank you -- The Management.

THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears every Friday in the SUN (additional material provided by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Scope magazine; listen to their reviews and commentary every Friday at 7 p.m. on their radio show "Quiet on the Set" on KVBC 105.1-FM; and watch their reviews every Friday on Channel 3's 11 p.m. newscast. Plus, check them out online at: www.lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies.