When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar, and great music.
Singer Shawn Mendes provides the voice of Lyle, the titular crocodile that does nothing but sing, while child actor Winslow Fegley portrays his leading role as Josh Primm, a young son of Joseph Primm and Kate Primm (Scoot McNairy and Constance Wu). In the film, Lyle currently lives in the Primm family’s attic after being abandoned by his previous owner Hector Valenti. Although he’s a talented singer, he doesn’t reveal his anthropomorphic talents to everyone, except for the Primm family and Hector, due to him being a crocodile and having a tremendous amount of stage fright. Lyle serves as Shawn Mendes’ first acting role despite having no lines, his performance is captivating as he brings musical joy to the audience, and he never falls flat on shaping his character. On the other hand, Fegley is also excellent, guiding Lyle behind his back throughout the film. Their chemistry is undeniable even though Fegley talks to Mendes’ CGI character in the background.
Based on the children’s book by Bernard Waber, the filmmaking duo Will Speck and Josh Gordon handle the directing duties on this film. Their resume includes “Blades of Glory” and “Office Christmas Party.” Under their direction, this live-action/animated hybrid film does everything it is supposed to do, be on the accurate level from the ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ book, but added more storyline to focus on the Lyle character and his fun-filled adventures with Josh and his parents, which is a lot more than what the book has offered. Of course, there are references and nods from the books and the Looney Tunes cartoon, One Froggy Evening.
One of the fascinating aspects of a musical film is that when it’s done right, it comes back to life the same way it was before. The story is good, the pacing of this engaging musical tale is appropriate for the allotted time slot, and the musical numbers, written by the songwriting duo Pasek and Paul, are pretty catchy. Still, some parts of the story and the CGI need more work. The appearances of actors Constance Wu and Javier Bardem are essential since their characters play a significant role in the storyline (even if it requires singing and dancing). Still, the story felt like these characters don’t carry the burden of this film’s story, nor does Fegley’s character. This is one of those films where the musical production requires a need for high-profile celebrities and personalities as the movie’s marketing tools.
Speaking of which, we have a few supporting actors present in the film, consisting of an Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) as Lyle’s charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti, and Brett Gelman (“Stranger Things”) as a disgruntled neighbor Mr. Grumps who dislike the Primm family, including Lyle, due to their antics at their new home. Bardem’s character has a vision of using Lyle’s singing talents for fame, money, and glory for himself while giving the impression of Brad Garret, but in the end, he realizes the error of his ways as his obsession for fame has deeply devoured him and slowly starts to become a better person to Lyle.
“Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” is a family-friendly kid movie. This is like watching Michigan J. Frog in theaters but with a crocodile instead. I enjoyed it thanks to the musical numbers and the performances from Mendes, Fegley, Wu, and Bardem, but I expected more from the directors. This film is a must, and it’s certainly a musical tale that will give Disney and Warner Bros. a run for their money. If you’re planning on choosing this film from the contents of that movie poster, this is where you can say, “See you later, alligator,” then the imaginative Lyle the crocodile shows up in front of you saying, “After a Lyle crocodile.”
In Theaters Friday, October 7th
