Gulliver's Travels

One of the movie posters for Gulliver’s Travels shows Gulliver (Jack Black) tied up, his head peeking up over his shoes with a sly, grinning look, like he knows his fans will rent this movie and save him from bondage. That about sums up the inanity and fatuousness of this movie about love–stricken magazine employee Lemuel Gulliver who accepts a writing assignment in Bermuda and winds up shipwrecked in a land of tiny people. There Gulliver uses his king–sized heart to help the locals with their troubles, both foreign and domestic.

ClearPlay In Action!

ClearPlay cleans up about 15 instances of language, and saves us from having to see about half of the main character’s rear end. Also clipped is a scene in which Gulliver puts out a fire by urinating on it. Unfortunately, ClearPlay can’t make the jokes funnier.

Is it worth the travel to pick up Gulliver?…

Clearly Gulliver’s Travels is aimed at a young audience. A very young audience. At the very least, ClearPlay makes it less offensive for the target viewers. There are some endearing, sweet moments, and Jack Black uses his trademark energy to try to make it work. Sadly, the story is vapid, the conflicts are superficial, and the jokes pander to the lowest common denominator. Hey, I’m a Jack Black fan, but this movie was one of my least favorite viewing experiences of the past year.

Marty Nabhan— ClearPlay Lilliputian

Rated PG for brief rude humor, mild language and action.; 85 min; Directed by Rob Letterman