''Kangaroo Jack'' is a 2003

buddy comedy A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the olde ...

film produced by

Castle Rock Entertainment Castle Rock Entertainment is an American film and television production company founded in 1987 by Martin Shafer, director Rob Reiner, Andrew Scheinman, Glenn Padnick and Alan Horn. It is a label of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself a subsidiar ...

and

Jerry Bruckheimer Films Jerry Bruckheimer Films Inc. (JBF) is an American independent film production company of Jerry Bruckheimer, formed in 1995, after cutting his ties with film producer Don Simpson, before his subsequent death in 1996. It produced hits such as th ...

, distributed by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...

, directed by David McNally with a screenplay by

Steve Bing Stephen Leo Bing (March 31, 1965 – June 22, 2020) was an American businessman, philanthropist, film producer, and screenwriter. He was the founder of Shangri-La Entertainment, an organization with interests in property, construction, entertai ...

and Scott Rosenberg from a story by Bing and Barry O'Brien. The film is produced by

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television Film producer, producer. He has been active in the genres of Action film, action, Drama film, drama, Fantasy film, fantasy, and Science fiction film, science fi ...

with music by

Trevor Rabin Trevor Charles Rabin (; born ) is a South African rock musician and composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a va ...

and stars

Jerry O'Connell Jerry O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and television host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series ''Sliders'', Andrew Clements in ''My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by M ...

Anthony Anderson Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ' ...

Estella Warren Estella Dawn Warren (born December 23, 1978)"Estella Warren". ''Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television''. Vol. 69. Gale, 2006. Gale Biography In Context. Web. May 26, 2011. is a Canadian actress, fashion model and former synchronized swimmer. ...

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

, and

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

, with Adam Garcia as the uncredited voice of the titular character. ''Kangaroo Jack'' was theatrically released on January 17, 2003. The film grossed $88.1 million worldwide on a $60 million budget, but was panned by both critics and audiences alike, who criticized the acting, directing, writing, humor, violence, and innuendoes, especially for a family film, and

false advertising False advertising is defined as the act of publishing, transmitting, or otherwise publicly circulating an advertisement containing a false claim, or statement, made intentionally (or recklessly) to promote the sale of property, goods, or servic ...

, although the visuals and soundtrack were praised. ''Kangaroo Jack'' was released on DVD and VHS on June 24, 2003, by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...

. An animated sequel titled '' Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.!'' was produced and released on video in 2004.

Plot

In 1982

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, a boy named Charlie Carbone is about to become the stepson of a

crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

named Salvatore Maggio. The mobster's apprentice Frankie Lombardo tries to drown Charlie, but a boy named Louis Booker saves him, and they become friends. Twenty years later, Charlie is running his own beauty salon set up by Sal, whose henchmen take 80% of the salon's profits, barely leaving Charlie enough money for maintenance. After they botch the job of hiding some stolen TVs, Sal gives Charlie and Louis one more chance. Under instructions from Frankie, they are to deliver a package to a man named Mr. Smith in

Coober Pedy Coober Pedy () is a town in northern South Australia, north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. Coober Pedy is ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Frankie also warns them against opening the package, and provides them with Mr. Smith's number. Unbeknown to the duo, Sal has cancelled their return trip. Louis opens the package on the plane and finds $50,000 cash. Upon landing in Australia, Charlie and Louis rent a car and head to Coober Pedy. Along their way, they accidentally run over a

red kangaroo The red kangaroo (''Osphranter rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, except for the more fertile areas, such as sou ...

. Louis thinks it is dead and puts his jacket and sunglasses on the kangaroo and poses for photographs as a joke, saying the kangaroo looks like one of Sal's henchmen. The kangaroo suddenly regains consciousness, kicks Charlie, and hops away with the $50,000 in the jacket. Charlie and Louis take chase, but crash the car, and the kangaroo escapes. At a pub in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, Louis manages to call Mr. Smith and tries to explain their situation. Mr. Smith, however, thinks they stole his package and threatens to kill Louis and Charlie. Back in New York, Sal gets the call from Mr. Smith complaining that Charlie and Louis haven't arrived; Sal then sends Frankie and some henchmen to Australia to investigate. Meanwhile, Charlie and Louis attempt to reclaim the money from the kangaroo by shooting it with a tranquilizer in a plane. The attempt fails when Louis accidentally shoots Blue, the pilot, and strands the duo in the desert. They spend hours wandering in the desert, during which Charlie

hallucinates A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...

finding a jeep, and they soon meet an American woman named Jessie from the Outback Wildlife Foundation. The following day, the trio then track the kangaroo to the

Todd River The Todd River (Arrernte language, Arrernte: ''Lhere Mparntwe'') is an Ephemeral, ephemeral river in the southern Northern Territory, central Australia. The origins of the Todd River are in the MacDonnell Ranges, where it flows past the Alice ...

and try again to catch it with

bolas Bolas or bolases (singular bola; from Spanish and Portuguese ''bola'', "ball", also known as a ''boleadora'' or ''boleadeira'') is a type of throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entan ...

, but Louis accidentally botches their attempt when ants crawl up his pants. While waiting for the next opportunity to catch the kangaroo, Charlie begins developing feelings for Jessie. Mr. Smith and his henchmen shortly arrive and capture the trio. Charlie and Louis outsmart them, but find Frankie has tracked them down and is prepared to kill them. The kangaroo suddenly returns, causing a

fist fight Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing boxing glove, protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a ...

between Mr. Smith's henchmen and Frankie's crew, who outmatch them. The distraction allows Charlie, Louis and Jessie to escape. A final chase ensues, with the duo chasing after the kangaroo while being pursued by Frankie and his goons. Louis finally manages to retrieve the money from the kangaroo but nearly falls off a cliff and is narrowly saved by Charlie. Charlie tries to hand the money to Frankie, but the latter angrily declines and reveals that Sal sent them to Australia to pay for their own execution at the hands of Mr. Smith. The

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

led by an undercover cop (disguised as an Outback guide) arrive and arrest Frankie, Mr. Smith, and their henchmen. Charlie reclaims Louis' jacket from the kangaroo. One year later, Charlie and Jessie are married and have used Sal's $50,000 to start a line of new hair care products bearing a kangaroo logo, along with Louis. Frankie, Mr. Smith, and their men have been imprisoned for life, a punishment that Sal had also failed at avoiding. The kangaroo, now called "Kangaroo Jack", is also revealed to be living happily in the

Outback The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...

. Now able to speak again, Jack breaks the fourth wall, explaining why the film should end with him and closes it with his version of

Porky Pig Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...

's famous catchphrase "That's all, blokes!"

Cast

as Charlie Carbone, the owner of a beauty salon. ** Robert Reid as young Charlie Carbone *

as Louis Booker, the best friend of Charlie. Anderson also voiced his kangaroo counterpart in Charlie's nightmare. ** Shawn Smith as young Louis Booker *

as Jessie Carbone, a member of the Outback Wildlife Foundation that helps Charlie and Louis. *

as Frankie Lombardo, a gangster who is the apprentice of Sal. ** Brian Casey as young Frankie Lombardo *

as Salvatore "Sal" Maggio, a mobster and Charlie's stepfather. Walken also voiced his kangaroo counterpart in Charlie's nightmare. *

Dyan Cannon Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations, and a star on the Ho ...

as Anna Carbone, Charlie's mother * Adam Garcia as Kangaroo Jack "Jackie Legs" (voice, uncredited), a red kangaroo whom Louis put his "lucky jacket" on. *

Marton Csokas Marton Paul Csokas (, hu, Csókás Márton Pál; born 30 June 1966) is a Hungarian-New Zealand actor of film, stage, and television. A graduate of the Toi Whakaari drama school, he has worked extensively in Australia and Hollywood, along with ...

as Mr. Smith, a man who Charlie and Louis are to deliver a package to. * Bill Hunter as Blue, a pilot who Charlie and Louis enlist to help catch Jack. *

Tony Nikolakopoulos Tony Nikolakopoulos is a Greek Australian film and television actor. He is best known for his work in the films of Nick Giannopoulos, '' The Wog Boy'' and ''The Wannabes'', and for his role as Attilio in the television series '' Scooter: Secret ...

as Sal's Capo, an unnamed capo who works for Sal. *

David Ngoombujarra David Ngoombujarra (27 June 1967 – 17 July 2011) was an Indigenous Australian actor of the Yamatji people. Born David Bernard Starr in Meekatharra, Western Australia, his acting career spanned over two decades from the 1980s to 2010; he won ...

as Sergeant Jimmy Inkamale, a man who is an undercover member of the Australian Police * Christopher James Baker as Crumble *

Lara Cox Lara Jane Cox (born 1978) is an Australian actress, known for a variety of roles. Cox played the role of Anita Scheppers in ''Heartbreak High'', Doctor Denman in ''H2O: Just Add Water'', and has appeared in ''Voodoo Lagoon'' and ''Kangaroo Ja ...

as Cute Girl On Plane *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as Special Vocal Effects

Production

Initially the film was titled ''Down and Under'' and was shot as a mob comedy in the style of ''

Midnight Run ''Midnight Run'' is a 1988 American road action comedy film directed by Martin Brest and starring Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, Joe Pantoliano, and Philip Baker Hall play supporting roles. At the ...

''. The film began shooting in Australia in August 2001, lasting about six months in total, and originally included cursing, sex, and violence. However, when the film's producers saw the first rough cut, they realized that it wasn't working as expected. Inspired by positive response to the kangaroo scene in early test screenings, as well as the marketing campaign behind the recently released ''

Snow Dogs ''Snow Dogs'' is a 2002 American adventure comedy film directed by Brian Levant, and produced by Jordan Kerner. The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., with a supporting cast of James Coburn (in one of his final roles), Joanna Bacalso, Sisqó, Nichell ...

'', the production shifted the marketing focus away from that of a dark mafia comedy to that of a family-friendly animal picture. Extensive new footage that replaced the

animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

kangaroo with a new CGI one that rapped was shot, and the film was edited down to a PG-rated family animal comedy. Even though Adam Garcia voiced Kangaroo Jack, he was not credited for the role.

Release

Theatrical release

''Kangaroo Jack'' was theatrically released on January 17, 2003, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Home media

''Kangaroo Jack'' was released on DVD and VHS on June 24, 2003, by

. The film was then re-released on DVD in 2011.

Reception

Box office

The film was released on January 17, 2003 and ranked No. 1 that weekend. It grossed $66,934,963 at the North American domestic box office and $21,994,148 internationally for a worldwide total of $88,929,111.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American 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, and Stephen Wang ...

reported that 8% of 115 critics gave the film a positive reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "The humor is gratingly dumb, and ''Kangaroo Jack'' contains too much violence and sexual innuendo for a family movie." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

it holds a weighted average score of 16 out of 100 based 25 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike." Audiences polled by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Joe McGovern in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' described ''Kangaroo Jack'' as "witless" and stated "The colorless script...seems to have written itself from a patchwork of

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short '' Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episod ...

cartoons, camel farts, and every high-pitched Aussie cliché to have echoed on these shores".

Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for '' The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.

, reviewing the film for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'', remarked "''Kangaroo Jack''s premise, trailer, and commercials promise little more than the spectacle of two enthusiastic actors being kicked over and over again by a sassy, computer-animated kangaroo—and, sadly, the film fails to deliver even that." Gary Slaymaker in the British newspaper '' The Western Mail'' wrote "''Kangaroo Jack'' is the most witless, pointless, charmless drivel unleashed on an unsuspecting public".

Awards

For their performances, Anthony Anderson and Christopher Walken were both nominated for Worst Supporting Actor at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards, but they lost to

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

for '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over''. The Australian newspaper ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' included ''Kangaroo Jack'' on its list of " worst films ever made".Lawrie Zion, "Home Movies". The Age, September 11, 2003. (p.7)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released by

Hip-O Records Hip-O Records is a record label that specializes in reissues and compilations. It is part of Universal Music Group. Established in 1996, the label has distributed releases from 'out of style' genres such as disco and early hip-hop music as wel ...

on January 14, 2003. #

DJ Ötzi Gerhard "Gerry" Friedle (born 7 January 1971), better known by his stage name DJ Ötzi (), is an Austrian pop and Schlager singer. Successful mainly in German-speaking countries, he is best known in the English-speaking world for his 2000 single ...

- " Hey Baby" #

Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...

- "

Round Round "Round Round" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes. It was written by group members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Heidi Range, as well as Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Nick Coler, and Lisa Cowling. Produced by ...

" #

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their plat ...

- "

Tainted Love "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1 ...

" # Lucia - "So Clever" #

Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she first achieved recognition as ...

- "

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

" #

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer * Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse * Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspor ...

- "

Hey Sexy Lady "Hey Sexy Lady" is a song recorded by Jamaican-American reggae artist Shaggy (musician), Shaggy. It was released in November 2002 as the first single from his album ''Lucky Day (Shaggy album), Lucky Day''. The song features Brian and Tony Gold and ...

" #

Shawn Desman Shawn Bosco Fernandes (born January 12, 1982), better known by his stage name Shawn Desman, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer, and television personality. He was signed to Universal Music Canada. He is known for his energetic stage presenc ...

- "Spread My Wings" #

Lil' Romeo Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

- " 2-Way" #

The Wiseguys The Wiseguys were a British electronic duo active in the mid to late 1990s. They produced the song "Start the Commotion", which was featured in a Mitsubishi TV advertisement, as well as the films ''The Lizzie McGuire Movie'', '' Zoolander'' a ...

- " Start the Commotion" #

The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop trio. Their 1979 hit "Rapper's Delight" was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; reaching a peak position of number 36 on January 12, 1980. This was the trio's onl ...

- "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

" #

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as "Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", "Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is Coli ...

- "

Down Under The term ''Down Under'' is a colloquialism which is differently construed to refer to Australia and New Zealand, or Pacific Island countries collectively.Oxford English Dictionary (Electronic), Version 4.0, entry fordown under. The dictionary ...

" # The Dude - "Rock Da Juice"

Animated sequel

The animated sequel '' Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.!'' was released direct-to-video on November 16, 2004.

References

External links

* * * * {{Jerry Bruckheimer 2003 films 2000s action comedy films 2000s adventure comedy films 2000s children's films 2000s English-language films Films set in 1982 Films set in 2002 Films set in 2003 American action comedy films American children's comedy films Australian comedy films African-American comedy films Castle Rock Entertainment films Films with live action and animation Films scored by Trevor Rabin Films about kangaroos and wallabies Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films set in New York City Films set in the Northern Territory Films set in South Australia Films set on airplanes Films shot in New South Wales Films shot in New York City Films shot in the Northern Territory Films shot in South Australia Films shot in Sydney Films with screenplays by Scott Rosenberg American films about revenge Australian films about revenge Warner Bros. films 2003 comedy films 2000s American films