The idea of remaking Anaconda isn’t a bad idea in itself. Released in 1997, the original starred Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, and Jon Voight, centering on a documentary film crew under attack by the titular giant snake. But a meta reimagining with Paul Rudd and Jack Black? That’s just…weird. And yeah, the trailer is exactly that. Kinda weird. But also maybe the best way to approach a movie that nobody ever took that seriously to begin with.
Rudd and Black play best buds going through a midlife crisis, who decide to remake their favorite childhood movie, Anaconda. Securing a loan of less than $10K, they set out to make their movie in the Amazon (???) only for things to get seriously effed up when a real giant anaconda attacks.
Also in the cast are Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello, and Steve Zahn.
The film is directed and co-written by Tom Gormican, and he’s sorta playing in the same meta sandbox as his Nic Cage comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Will any of this work? It looks pretty funny to me, but I can also see how it might be a wild misfire. The style and humor reminds me of Tropic Thunder mixed with Be Kind Rewind (also starring Black), and that could be tough to pull off. The use of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” in the trailer is a nice touch, though.
SYNOPSIS: Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic “classic” Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.
Sony Pictures will release Anaconda in theaters on Christmas Day.
