Lyle, Lyle Crocodile Review
Fun and frivolous, this kids film alternates between enjoyable fever dream and barely comprehensible tenancy drama.
Magician Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem) discovers a singing crocodile, Lyle (Shawn Mendes), and plans a whole show about him; risking his fortune and reputation in the process. When Lyle gets stage fright and refuses to sing in front of a crowd, Valenti has to abandon his New York property, but he leaves Lyle there with the instruction to pretend to be stuffed should anyone find him. The new family who move in - anxiety riddled teen Josh (Winslow Fegley), his mother health-obsessed, cooking influencer mother Mrs. Primm (Constance Wu), and downtrodden teacher Mr. Primm (Scoot McNairy) - play at a happy life, but are all put upon by the world. When Josh discovers Lyle and befriends him, slowly bringing him into the fold of the family, Lyle helps them all open up and rediscover the joy of life. When Valenti returns, however, a planned return to the stage for the singing scaled creature puts their tenuous balance at risk. Ultimately, the family must return the favor, and help Lyle get over his stage fright and believe in himself, in order to save him.
Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is a weird mish mash of different tones and vibes. On the one hand, there’s a fairly staid family drama here with a singing crocodile, that wouldn’t feel out of place being compared to very poor films like Tom and Jerry. It’s pretty basic, standard stuff, without much in the way of new or different.
Then there’s Bardem. Bardem completely understands the crazy vibe this movie needs to work. He’s blisteringly wild, delivering a performance completely at odds with the rest of the cast, and the film is all the better for it. Every second he is on screen is a joy.
The music, from famed duo Pasek and Paul, suitably slaps. Lyle himself is perfectly fine as the title character, although the fact that he is largely reduced to singing makes it tough to connect with him.
In the end, Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is an odd beast - worth your time for the music and Bardem’s performance, but largely unremarkable with its nonsensical plot and frustrating performance from Fegley. It should be fine enough to entertain the kids for a few hours, but you won’t want to take a seat with them during it.
