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Apparently, music does soothe the savage beast

The tale of a happy, singing crocodile with stage fright works best as a musical

CHRIS KNIGHT cknight@postmedia.com twitter.com/chrisknightfilm

I thought I knew where this film was going. After all, I heard Michigan J. Frog perform in 1955 — or rather I didn't hear him, after showing up for the promise of free beer. And he's not due to hit the stage again until 2056.

OK, either you know the Looney Tunes cartoon about the frog with stage fright, or I've confused you deeply and for no good reason. Because it's not hard to get your head around the premise of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, based on the mid-century children's book of the same name. It's one part Sing, one part One Froggy Evening, one part Paddington and one part Sing 2.

Javier Bardem stars as Hector P. Valenti, an entertainer who finds a singing crocodile at the back of a pet shop. They form an instant bond, and belt out perfect two-part harmony, but when Hector tries to put Lyle in front of a crowd, the reptilian vocalist can't even emit a croak. Cut to 18 months later. Hector, broken and also broke, has had to abandon his Manhattan home, which is now occupied by the Primms, mom (Constance Wu), dad

(Scoot Mcnairy) and young Josh, played by tiny Patton Oswalt look-alike Winslow Fegley.

Lyle is still living in the attic, and befriends the newcomers one by one. (Though I question the need for three separate scenes of someone being terrified before realizing that Lyle is a big softy.) Voiced by Canadian superstar Shawn Mendes (and nicely computer animated), Lyle can't talk but he sure can sing. This includes classics by the likes of Elton John and Stevie Wonder, and new numbers like Take a Look at Us Now and Rip Up the Recipe, created for the film by songwriting duo Pasek and Paul.

The result is a lighthearted, toe-tapping story, and that rare and wondrous pairing that will amuse the kids without getting on their parents' nerves.

The film includes references to the art from the original books, here supposedly doodled by Josh's mom.

There's a mild villain in the form of the Primms' downstairs neighbour, the Dickensianly named Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman). There's a climax that turns on obscure New York City housing ordinances, a device I haven't seen used since Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Finally, there is a totally bizarre reference to Stanley Kubrick's horror masterpiece The Shining. It's not scary at all, mind you; merely a piece of wardrobe. Are co-directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck fans of the film? Like a certain saltwater reptile, they're not talking.

MOVIES

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2022-10-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

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