Director Tom Gormican‘s not-a-reboot comedy film “Anaconda” really shouldn’t work, and that’s exactly why it does. It’s the kind of movie that sounds like it could be painfully stupid on paper, but instead turns out to be genuinely funny, self-aware, and far more charming than it has any right to be. It’s goofy, chaotic fun powered almost entirely by the perfect comedic timing and chemistry of its cast. I laughed a lot during this movie.
An entirely original comedy that’s merely inspired by the cult cinematic classic “Anaconda,” the film knows the reputation of its source material and leans into it with affection rather than irony. The joke isn’t “remember this bad movie,” but rather “remember how much fun it was to love something ridiculous?”
The film tells the story of Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), lifelong best friends who bonded over their obsession with “Anaconda” as kids growing up in Buffalo, dreaming of one day making movies themselves. Now facing a collective midlife crisis, the two buddies finally decide to go for it. Enlisting the help of pals Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny (Steve Zahn), the gang packs up their egos and unresolved issues to head into the Amazon to shoot their shoestring budget passion project. Of course, almost everything spirals out of control when an actual giant anaconda shows up and turns their already disastrous production into a real-life survival scenario.
The plot itself is extremely loose and thin, but it doesn’t matter. The movie knows exactly where its strengths lie, and story mechanics are not one of them. What does work beautifully is the comedy. Black and Rudd are perfectly paired, with the former’s manic, unfiltered energy playing effortlessly against the latter’s dry, increasingly exasperated reactions. Their longtime friendship feels believable, lived-in, and consistently funny, which carries the film even when the story runs out of gas.
A lot of the humor comes from timing rather than punchlines, with awkward pauses, escalating stupidity, and the slow realization that things are much worse than anyone wants to admit. The film is at its best when it’s poking fun at creative delusion, male midlife panic, and the absurdity of chasing childhood dreams without any adult planning. It’s silly, yes, but never cynical.
The ending doesn’t quite succeed, with Gormican opting for a wrap-up that feels more rushed than earned. By that point, it hardly matters because he isn’t aiming for greatness or thematic depth, but is trying to make you laugh. This is a goofy, ridiculous, and fun comedy that understands exactly what it is and what it wants to be. Sometimes a movie doesn’t need to be smart or polished, it just needs to be funny. And “Anaconda” absolutely is.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 