A singing and dancing crocodile enriches the lives of a timid boy, his parents, and flamboyant showman in bustling New York City. Based on the beloved children’s books by Bernard Waber,Lyle, Lyle, Crocodilewill entrance the youngest tykes.Big-budget CGI animationand Shawn Mendes' soaring vocals will have them dancing in the aisles. Their parents won’t be as entertained.The family dramaand bad neighbor subplots are too simplistic.Javier Bardemgives the best effort to bridge the gap between age groups. He’s a firecracker that lights up the screen with talent and infectious energy.
Hector P. Valenti (Bardem) gets tossed on the street after trying to audition for America’s biggest televised talent show. His goofy act has nothing extraordinary. Hector’s hopes brighten after a chance trip to a nearby pet store. He’s shocked to see a baby crocodile singing in his cage. Hector purchases the crooning reptile with dreams of stardom. He returns to his family’s brownstone on East 88th Street for serious training. Hector calls him Lyle (Mendes) then discovers he can sing but can’t talk. Hector leverages the house to pay for Lyle’s big debut.
Eighteen months later, the house on East 88th Street is rented to the Primm family. Joseph (Scoot McNairy) has gotten a job heading the math department of a local school. His son, Josh (Winslow Fegley), is terrified of moving to the city and making new friends. Katie (Constance Wu), Joseph’s wife and Josh’s stepmother, tries her best to get them acclimated. It doesn’t help to have a nasty downstairs neighbor, Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman).
Josh hears singing in the attic. He freaks out meeting Lyle. Terror turns to friendship as the sweet croc helps Josh out of his shell. Soon all the Primms are enamored by Lyle. Complications arise when Hector returns out of the blue. Mr. Grumps senses they’re trying to hide something big.
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Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile Has Production Value
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodilehas high production values. The croc, New York City set pieces, and townhouse look great. Fans of the books will enjoy seeing the classic drawings come to life. The anthropomorphized Lyle has round, sweet eyes that emote his endearing nature. He’s never scary. Scenes of him eyeing critters hungrily are humorous not aggressive. Every scene with Lyle is well-done and a credit to the visual effects team.
The film snoozes with Primm family travails. McNairy, Wu, and young Fegley have scant chemistry together. Their interactions look staged. Wu’s Katie feels loss for missing out on Josh’s early years as a stepmom. Her efforts to get closer to him don’t resonate as they should. The conflicts with Mr. Grumps are also ridiculous. His mean persona goes overboard. Thankfully, Bardem’s Hector brings warmth and sizzle. He outshines everyone hooting, hollering, and jigging up a storm with Lyle.
No hate mail please, but I didn’t have any familiarity with Shawn Mendes. The Canadian singer sounds good belting out original tunes by songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The music will be a big draw for Mendes' significant following. Extravagant dance numbers with Hector and Lyle should also be crowd-pleasers.
Hector and the Primms dress up in Florida Gators merchandise to take Lyle for an outside excursion. This tickled my funny bone as a die-hard University of Florida alumni. It’s a clever scene that appeals to kids and adults. Go Gators! I’ll assume the filmmakers couldn’t find a cool croc mascot.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodileis a production of Columbia Pictures, Eagle Pictures, Hutch Parker Entertainment, and TSG Entertainment. It will be released theatrically on October 6th fromSony Pictures.
