Kangaroo Jack

2003 Comedy

Two low-level American crooks head to Australia, where they match wits with a kangaroo (who appears to have an intellectual edge on his pursuers) in this broad comedy. Charlie Carbone (Jerry O'Connell) is a hairdresser from Brooklyn whose best friend, Louis Booker (Anthony Anderson), scrapes together a living moving stolen merchandise. Charlie's stepfather, Sal Maggio (Christopher Walken), is a crime kingpin who has loaned Charlie a lot of money and wants to know when he'll get it back; Sal's not especially fond of Louis, especially after he and Charlie accidentally lead the police to a storehouse of burgled goods owned by Sal. Charlie owes Sal a big favor, and Sal wants Charlie and Louis out of his hair for a while, so Sal sends them to Australia, where they're to deliver a large amount of cash to a mysterious Mr. Smith (Marton Csokas). En route to their meeting in the outback, Charlie and Louis accidentally run over a kangaroo, and the half-bright tourists decide to dress the dead marsupial in sunglasses and Louis' favorite jacket for snapshots. However, the animal wasn't as dead as they imagined, and it soon hops away, shortly after Louis realizes the payment to Mr. Smith was in the pocket. Now Louis and Charlie are out to find the fast-moving critter, with the help of Jessie (Estella Warren), a wildlife expert; Mr. Jimmy (David Ngoombujarra), a wilderness guide; and Blue (Bill Hunter), a pilot familiar with the outback. more..

Director: David McNally

Starring: Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren, Christopher Walken, Marton Csokas

Reviews

  • Jumps at chance to be silly.

    Mike Clark - USA Today

    26 April 2013

  • Will parents be able to sit through Kangaroo Jack without plunging sharp sticks into their eyes? The short answer? Yes. Barely.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

  • Highbrow entertainment this isn't.

    - Miami Herald

    26 April 2013

  • The film's crude humor and violence -- cartoonish, but still violent -- should offend parents of younger kids. Yet its ultra-broad, pratfall-filled comedy will satisfy only the most indiscriminate teens.

    Loren King - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • A dumb, by-the-numbers children's movie.

    Lou Lumenick - New York Post

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Favorite Fart in a Movie

    Kids' Choice Awards (2004)

  • Best Virtual Performance

    MTV Movie Awards (2003)

     
  • Worst Supporting Actor

    Razzie Awards (2004)

     
  • Choice Movie - Comedy

    Teen Choice Awards (2003)