Gulliver’s Travels

There is a place in life for silly and Jack Black is the King of Silliness. Whether it’s playing air guitar, jumping into a wrestling ring, or lending his voice to a cartoon character, Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda) has been amusing us at the cinema for years. Yet when I went to see Gulliver’s Travels this holiday, I was surprised to find more to this man-boy. In Gulliver’s Travels Jack Black displays pathos, growth, sweetness and a lot of heart.
 
Once in Liliput, the Liliputians acted with earnestness and a sense of pride in their community. As little people, they knew that there are bigger things in life than themselves, yet they had a real sense of who they are and what they had to offer. On the other hand Gulliver was unaware of his worth and despite his size he had to grow from the role of a whipping boy to a true self-sacrificing hero.
 
Billy Connolly (Mrs. Brown) plays the king of Liliput and Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria) plays his daughter Princess Mary. His daughter has been promised in marriage to General Edward Chris O’Dowd (Dinner for Schmucks) but he is an insufferable social climber without an ounce of romance in his body. The Princess Mary doesn’t care much for him and only tolerates him in response to her duty.
 
When Gulliver enters their kingdom, the balance of power is disrupted as well as their social order. A young serf named Horatio, Jason Segel (I Love You Man) has been imprisoned by General Edward for daring to speak directly to the Princess Mary. But now that Gulliver and Horatio are friends, he demands Horatio’s release. War has broken out with the neighboring kingdom and Gulliver has become their secret weapon. In addition, Horatio has a chance to prove himself in battle and possibly earn a commission. Gulliver has been coaching him in the art of love and with a proof of valor, perhaps he can woo the princess after all.
 
In Liliput, Gulliver is the big man in town, but back home in Manhattan he was all talk and no action. As a mailroom clerk Gulliver has been in love with the travel editor, Amanda Peet (2012) for five years. In order to get her attention Gulliver would invent excuses to go by Darcy’s desk, until one day he is forced to make a bold step. He pretends to have stopped by to pick up an application and Darcy in turn gives him an assignment to cover a story on the Bermuda Triangle. Exaggerating his prowess as a traveler and a sailor, he ends up piloting his boat into a waterspout, which lands him in the land of Liliput.
 
Gulliver’s Travels was a much better movie than I was expecting. It had heart, wit and still enough silliness for the kids. There were some honest laughs in this film and the performances were all endearing. This film is really the perfect vehicle for Jack Black’s talents and the rest of the cast is good too. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Horatio and the princess. I had a good time with this film and I found the comedy groan free. It was fun and entertaining and that’s all you can ask. Sailing to Liliput was a satisfying little vacation. As a family film I recommend it.

Rating: First Run A great film for the little ones