''Jungle 2 Jungle'' is a 1997

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by John Pasquin, produced by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film Film production company, production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios (division), the Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company. The st ...

and

TF1 Films Production TF1 Group () is a French media holding company. Its best-known property is the broadcast network TF1. The group was formed after TF1 was privatized in April 1987 in which the channel was launched back on January 6 1975 twelve years prior. It is ...

, and starring

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Gl ...

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...

Lolita Davidovich Lolita Davidovich (born Lolita Davidović; July 15, 1961) is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for portraying Blaze Starr in the 1989 film '' Blaze'', for which she received a Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination. ...

, David Ogden Stiers,

JoBeth Williams Margaret JoBeth Williams (born December 6, 1948) is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in such films as '' Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979), '' Stir Crazy'' (1980), ''Poltergeist'' (1982), '' The Big Chill'' (1983), '' The Day After' ...

, and introducing

Sam Huntington Sam Huntington (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Josh Levison on the Syfy series '' Being Human'' (2011–2014), Mimi-Siku in the Tim Allen vehicle '' Jungle 2 Jungle'' (1997) and Jimmy Olsen in the ...

in his film debut. A co-production between France and the United States, it is an English-language remake of the 1994 French film ''

Un indien dans la ville ''Un indien dans la ville'' (''An Indian in the city'') is a 1994 French film directed by Hervé Palud. The film had a limited English language release under the title ''Little Indian, Big City''. The film was a box office success, grossing $70. ...

'' (also known as ''Little Indian, Big City''). Its plot follows that of the original film fairly closely, with the biggest difference being the change in location from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Like its original French film, it was a moderate box office success but was panned by critics.

Plot

Michael Cromwell is a self-absorbed commodities broker living in

. Wanting to marry his fiancée, Charlotte, he needs to obtain a divorce from his first wife, Patricia, who left him years earlier. She now lives with a semi-Westernized tribe in

Canaima National Park Canaima National Park () is a park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the La Gran Sabana, Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State (Venezuela), Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guya ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. He travels there to get her signature on the divorce papers. Upon his arrival, she reveals that they have a son named Mimi-Siku, who is now 13. Michael attempts to bond with Mimi and promises to take him to New York City " when he is a man". That night, Mimi undergoes the traditional

rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of social status, status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisa ...

of the tribe, who then considers him to be a man. The tribal elder gives him a task to bring fire from the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

in order to become the next chief. A reluctant Michael brings Mimi to New York City with him. Charlotte is less than pleased about Mimi and his primitive ways. As Michael attempts to adapt Mimi to city life, cross-cultural misunderstandings occur. On climbing the Statue of Liberty to reach the torch, he is disappointed that the flame is not real. While staying at the home of Michael's business partner Richard Kempster, Mimi falls in love with his daughter, Karen. Richard resents Mimi's presence due to his influence over Karen and because he ate his prize-winning '' Poecilia latipinna'' fish. Richard freaks out when he sees Karen and Mimi together in a

hammock A hammock, from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno language, Taíno and Arawak language, Arawak , is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, res ...

and threatens to send her to an all-girls

summer camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

; Mimi also attempts to make amends by replacing Michael's fish with wild ones, but Michael is not appeased. The Kempsters and Michael are targeted by Alexei Jovanovic, a Russian mobster and caviar dealer who believes that they have cheated him in a business deal. He arrives at the Kempsters' home and tortures Richard for information. By fighting together and utilizing Mimi's hunting skills and his pet tarantula Maitika (who attacks whenever people scream), Michael and Mimi fight off Jovanovic and his minions. Before returning to the Amazon jungle, Mimi is given a satellite phone by Michael so they can stay in touch. He also presents him with a Statue of Liberty cigarette lighter, which produces fire from the torch and will fulfill his quest. In return, Mimi gives Michael a blowpipe and poisoned darts, telling him to practice and come to see him when he can hit flies. Shortly afterward, Michael finds himself disheartened by his relationship with Charlotte and attempts to kill a fly with his blowpipe on the trading floor of the

New York Board of Trade ICE Futures U.S.—known as the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) until September, 2007— is a physical commodity futures exchange located in New York City. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). History It origi ...

. He hits it but also his hot-tempered boss Langston, who collapses asleep on the trading floor. Michael returns to Lipo-Lipo to see Mimi and Patricia, bringing the Kempsters along for a vacation. Karen and Mimi are reunited, and it is suggested that Michael and Patricia also resume their relationship. As the closing credits start rolling, Michael undergoes the rite of passage as Mimi did earlier.

Cast

as Michael Cromwell *

as Richard Kempster *

as Charlotte * David Ogden Stiers as Alexei Jovanovic *

as Mimi-Siku Cromwell *

Bob Dishy Bob Dishy is an American actor of stage, film, and television. Biography Early life and education Dishy grew up in the Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. His father, a salesman, was born in Beirut and his mother in Jerus ...

as George Langston *

as Dr. Patricia Cromwell * Valerie Mahaffey as Jan Kempster * Leelee Sobieski as Karen Kempster * Luis Ávalos as Abe * Frankie J. Galasso as Andrew Kempster * Carole Shelley as Fiona Glockman *

Adam LeFevre Adam LeFevre (born August 11, 1950) is an American character actor, poet, and playwright who works in cinema, television, theater and commercials. Biography LeFevre was born in Albany, New York, the son of Helen (née Rhodes), a hospital patient ...

as Morrison *

Dominic Keating Dominic Keating (né Power; born 1 July 1961) is a British television, film and theatre actor best known for his portrayals of Tony in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Desmond's'' and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed on '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Early life ...

as Ian * Rondi Reed as Sarah

Reception

Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

gives ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' a rating of 19%, based on reviews from 42 critics. The site's consensus states: "Tim Allen spends ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' annoyed and put upon, mirroring audiences' reaction as they struggle through this witless family comedy."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

was disappointed by the film, giving it one star out of four, a small step from his original zero star rating for '' Little Indian, Big City''. On his television program ''

Siskel and Ebert Gene Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) and Roger Ebert (June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013), collectively known as Siskel & Ebert, were an American film critic duo known for their partnership on television lasting from 1975 to Siske ...

'', Ebert said ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' was not as bad as ''Little Indian, Big City'' because it was "far too mediocre to be terrible." He also described it as "lamebrained, boring, predictable, long, and slow", and added that while the French version was memorably bad, ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' was "just forgettable". Ebert's colleague

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

mildly disagreed, specifying that he felt ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' was just as bad as ''Little Indian, Big City''. He also said he felt embarrassed for Allen and Short, as he felt they were used far better in other television programs and films. Siskel later went on to declare ''Jungle 2 Jungle'' the worst film of 1997. At the 1997 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film was listed as one of 30 dishonorable mentions for Worst Picture and was noted under the Founders Award, which lamented the year's biggest studio disgraces. Referencing Siskel's pick for worst film of the year (they called it "a horrendous embarrassment for Disney"), the Stinkers stated that it had "just as many laughs as ''Little Indian, Big City'' (zero) and we're being generous" and added that Disney needed to stop remaking so many films.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack consists of 15 songs.

Track listing

Maxi Priest Max Alfred Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an Contemporary R&B, R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. ...

– "It Starts in the Heart" (4:44) #

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

/ Shaggy – " Shaking the Tree" (5:34) # Dana Hutson – "It's My Life" (3:29) # Jam Nation – "Awakening" (2:52) #

Joseph Arthur Joseph Lyburn Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years t ...

– "Big City Secret" (4:37) # The Sha-Shees – "You Can Do It" (3:53) # Rique Pantoja – "By the Sea" (3:48) # Totó la Momposina y Sus Tambores – "La Sombra Negra" (3:25) # "Between Two Worlds" (2:16) # George Acogny – "Fire Dance/Ceremony Chant" (2:25) # Eyuphuro – "Akatswela" (4:47) # Afro Celt Sound System – "Whirl-Y-Reel I" (3:32) # Totó la Momposina y Sus Tambores – "Malanga" (4:06) # "New York Jungle" (0:49) #

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

- “I’m So Excited” (3:51)

Included clips

*'' Disney Time'' (1997) On

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

(Spider Chase from ''Jungle 2 Jungle'')

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jungle 2 Jungle 1997 films 1997 children's films 1997 comedy films 1990s adventure comedy films 1990s children's adventure films American children's comedy films American adventure comedy films American children's adventure films French children's comedy films French adventure comedy films French children's adventure films American remakes of French films 1990s English-language films Films about father–son relationships Films about hunter-gatherers Films about Native Americans Films directed by John Pasquin Films scored by Michael Convertino Films set in New York City Films set in Venezuela Films shot in Venezuela Wall Street films Walt Disney Pictures films 1990s American films 1990s French films English-language French films English-language adventure comedy films American slapstick comedy films