Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, apparently, was written in 1986, and no one felt obligated to update any of the jokes. Back in the days of neon and bad taste when Crocodile Dundee was an inexplicable phenomenon, the thought of the Aussie croc hunter going to L.A. probably held promise. But now, some 15 years later, the Subaru shill’s decision to trot out his tired character smacks of greed and desperation. Dundee cruises around L.A. in a Subaru Outback without a hint of irony—then he stops at a Wendy’s drive-thru for no reason before slurping Pepsi off the hind quarters of ad execs. (Product placement is one thing. Product bludgeoning is another.)

The plot is some inane crap about crooked Russian art dealers. And we’re pelted with the pat fish-out-of-water jokes throughout—he doesn’t know how to turn off a TV, he doesn’t know what a skunk is, blah, blah, blah. Add to this god-awful mix appearances by grade-Z celebrities (George Hamilton? Paul Rodriguez?) and one truly embarrassing cameo by Mike Tyson. Having Dundee quip, “He seems like a nice fella. Wouldn’t hurt a fly” is in seriously bad taste, considering that troublesome rape conviction and all. Garbage.