Reel Review
Dudley Do-Right (1999)
Director
Hugh
Wilson no doubt hopes to strike gold with his latest comedy, Dudley
Do-Right, by aping the formula of Disney's 1997 smash, George
of the Jungle. Like George, Do-Right is a live-action adaptation of
a popular 1960s-era Jay Ward cartoon. Also like George, it stars Brendan
Fraser in the title role as yet another accident-prone-but-amiable naif.
Unlike its predecessor, however, this cartoon has to mine a lot harder for
laughs, and for grownups, it mainly strikes fool's gold.
As in the cartoon original, Dudley Do-Right is a thick-headed but good-hearted Canadian Mountie in love with the lovely Nell Fenwick (Sarah Jessica Parker) and engaged in constant battle with the malevolent Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina). In this filmed version, things heat up when Snidely engineers a takeover of Dudley's hometown, Semi Happy Valley, and creates a false boom by salting the river with gold. In his ensuing war with Whiplash, Dudley loses his horse (appropriately named "Horse"), his job, and the love of Nell, who finds herself attracted to Snidely's evil ways. When only the local Kumquat Indian chief (Alex Rocco) and a grizzled prospector (Eric Idle) stand by him, Dudley joins the dark side. He becomes the bad guy to fight Snidely and win back Nell and Semi Happy Valley.
The original Dudley Do-Right cartoon doled out its mayhem in short 3-minute doses. By contrast, the film's 76 minutes will seem interminable to adults not easily amused by Dudley's constant accidents (knocking into boards and falling off chairs) and Horse's abundant flatulence. The Three Stooges-like rambunctiousness will no doubt captivate children, and even the most jaded viewer will be hard-pressed to suppress a smile when Dudley gets his noggin trapped in a stuffed moose head.
Do-Right offers grown-ups in the crowd Fraser's dependably goofy charm and an equally amusing supporting cast (though Molina's scenery chewing quickly wears thin). There are other pleasures as well: the Kumquat Indians' Corn Festival, a dinner theater revue offering its own take on Riverdance; Dudley's and Nell's tendency to break into the "Indian Love Call" made famous by Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald at the slightest provocation; and a swing dance number pitting Dudley against Snidely for Nell's affections. It must be said for director Wilson that he does have a gift for production numbers. It's too bad that in the interludes in between, he feels the need to do the one thing Jay Ward never did — dumb down the material. The overall result makes Dudley Do-Right like Trix cereal — just for kids.
Editor's Note: The first cartoon from Jay Ward productions in 32 years, Fractured Fairy Tales: The Phox, the Box, and the Lox opens for Dudley Do-Right. Featuring Nell's original voice, June Foray and written by Rocky and Bullwinkle scribe Bill Scott, it offers the puns and twisted logic so fondly remembered from the original cartoons. Dudley may miss the mark, but this silly story delivers the mother lode.
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