Lyle Lyle Crocodile (2022) Movie Review
Director: Will Speck and Josh Gordon
Genre: Musical Comedy
Language: English
Streaming: VOD (13th Dec)
Synopsis:
When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar, and great music.
The two become fast friends, but when evil neighbor Mr. Grumps threatens Lyle’s existence, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.
Review:
With a strong message at its core and a likable cast of characters, “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is great, family fun. The story starts a bit slow, but once the music begins everything changes.
Just like in “The Greatest Showman”, “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Trolls”, Pasek and Paul show their skills with the music in this film. Each song adds depth to the story and elevates the otherwise slow-paced script.
The casting is excellent with Shawn Mendes stealing the show. His voice is incredible and hilariously fits the adolescent crocodile. If you have seen the trailers, you won’t be surprised that this movie is adorable on so many levels.
Lyle’s journey starts out very charming, the cute little baby croc being like a child version of the Geico Gecko, and then quickly blooming into that tragic and loveable hero.
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The movie feels much like a kids’ book coming to life and both live and animate characters are these loveable representations of family values. The antics are fun; the lighthearted nature of the movie just puts a loveable quality to it.
First and foremost, this is a movie made for children. Is this a negative? Not at all, there are plenty of children’s movies that have excellent cinematic value.
Although it is cute, “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is not one of those movies. The film is full of clichés, the characters act more like caricatures than real people and the story is paper thin.
There are four new songs by Pasek and Paul in this movie, and that is not enough. All four songs are going to be on repeat for weeks, but I wish there were more (for context, “The Greatest Showman” had 9 original songs).
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While the music is great, the plot in between songs was rudimentary and a little awkward.
Verdict:
“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is exactly what you would expect after looking at the poster. The movie is full of pigeonholed characters and childish situations that occasionally find their footing.
The soundtrack is excellent, and Shawn Mendes sings his heart out, though the rest of the movie falls a little flat. My best cinematic comparison would be “Stuart Little” with pop music. It’s a wholesome movie that the entire family, especially those with little kids, will enjoy.
