There's an awkward moment for the smarmy villain of Gulliver's Travels when his "beloved" princess demands that he list down the reasons why he loves her � and all he can do is gesture at her bosom.
Similarly, there might be an awkward moment for someone who goes around declaring that this comedic take on the classic satirical yarn is funny. Hey, my face is up here, pig.
Only covering a part of Jonathan Swift's original tale, the movie updates its setting from the 18th to 21st century, and downgrades its principal character from physician to slacker.
After conning his way into landing a travel writing assignment, Gulliver (Black) � who has dreamed of getting out of his mail room job for 10 years but never acted on it � gets caught up in strange phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle. When he comes to, he finds himself on the island of Lilliput, where the inhabitants are all 1:12 scale action figures.
The movie raises a few chuckles as Gulliver is initially enslaved and then wins over his hosts, but otherwise, this version of the tale is content to rehash old jokes (like spouting song lyrics as pearls of wisdom � or lines of seduction � in a strange land).
Black certainly plays to the PG-13 material; there's a pee joke, but thankfully no fart jokes, and the humour is mostly good-natured.
Trouble is, beyond Gulliver assembling a fake life story based on classic moments from (our world's) pop culture, there's little inventiveness about the script.
The Lilliputians are delightfully (almost cartoonishly) stilted in their manners and mores, but this angle is quickly ditched just so Gulliver can influence almost everyone in Lilliput to start acting and talking like a 21st century dude. Dude!
Expect the usual plot developments: the jealous former "hero" of Lilliput, the mess Gulliver makes with his lies, his exposure as a fraud, and the inevitable shot at redemption.
This tall tale is likeable for the most part but never really hits its stride; and Black still makes Gulliver � even with his reluctance to get off his butt, and his readiness to exploit his newfound friends � likeable enough that you dread the moment when his house of cards falls apart.
Think of the movie as an over-laden buffet table where everything tastes just okay, and nothing really stands out except for that centrepiece where they carved a giant butt out of ice. It's something that catches your eye, sure, but you don't want to stare at it for too long.
Similarly, there might be an awkward moment for someone who goes around declaring that this comedic take on the classic satirical yarn is funny. Hey, my face is up here, pig.
Only covering a part of Jonathan Swift's original tale, the movie updates its setting from the 18th to 21st century, and downgrades its principal character from physician to slacker.
After conning his way into landing a travel writing assignment, Gulliver (Black) � who has dreamed of getting out of his mail room job for 10 years but never acted on it � gets caught up in strange phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle. When he comes to, he finds himself on the island of Lilliput, where the inhabitants are all 1:12 scale action figures.
The movie raises a few chuckles as Gulliver is initially enslaved and then wins over his hosts, but otherwise, this version of the tale is content to rehash old jokes (like spouting song lyrics as pearls of wisdom � or lines of seduction � in a strange land).
Black certainly plays to the PG-13 material; there's a pee joke, but thankfully no fart jokes, and the humour is mostly good-natured.
Trouble is, beyond Gulliver assembling a fake life story based on classic moments from (our world's) pop culture, there's little inventiveness about the script.
The Lilliputians are delightfully (almost cartoonishly) stilted in their manners and mores, but this angle is quickly ditched just so Gulliver can influence almost everyone in Lilliput to start acting and talking like a 21st century dude. Dude!
Expect the usual plot developments: the jealous former "hero" of Lilliput, the mess Gulliver makes with his lies, his exposure as a fraud, and the inevitable shot at redemption.
This tall tale is likeable for the most part but never really hits its stride; and Black still makes Gulliver � even with his reluctance to get off his butt, and his readiness to exploit his newfound friends � likeable enough that you dread the moment when his house of cards falls apart.
Think of the movie as an over-laden buffet table where everything tastes just okay, and nothing really stands out except for that centrepiece where they carved a giant butt out of ice. It's something that catches your eye, sure, but you don't want to stare at it for too long.
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