Today’s quick review: Dudley Do-Right. When Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina) uses a fake gold rush to take over the quiet Canadian town of Semi-Happy Valley, it’s up to Dudley Do-Right (Brendan Fraser), a dimwitted Mountie, to stop him. The only problem is that Snidely hasn’t actually broken any laws, forcing Dudley to take drastic measures to bring him to justice. Meanwhile, the two rivals fight for the affections of Nell Fenwick (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Dudley Do-Right is a live-action family comedy based on the classic cartoon. Dudley Do-Right attempts to replicate the absurd humor of the original, relying on the pairing of an inept hero with a dastardly villain to carry the movie. However, the movie has little going for it beyond this premise. Its jokes never really hit the mark, its fairly talented cast is pigeonholed by the script, and the story lacks even the meager substance expected of a comedy.
Dudley Do-Right simply doesn’t bring much to the table. The bare-bones premise of the original shorts is whittled down even further, with reduced roles for Horse and Inspector Fenwick. The movie makes no real attempt to build up a fuller world for Dudley and Snidely to live in. The story has one or two good ideas, such as Snidely’s legal takeover of the town, but it never does much with them, using them for cheap gags without exploring them further.
The result is a short, shallow watch that depends on comedy to make up for its lack of substance. But Dudley Do-Right’s comedy isn’t up to the task. The movie’s slapstick humor, wacky sound effects, and narrator are all throwbacks to the original cartoons, but they lack the originals’ wit, energy, and timing. The movie also has to blatantly stall for time, using an unrelated cartoon short and unnecessary dance sequences to reach an acceptable run time.
Dudley Do-Right is a comedy that is badly outclassed by its competition. It does earn a few points for its cast, its ideas, and its potential appeal to children, but ultimately it’s a comedy with little payoff. Most viewers would be better off skipping it, even fans of the original.
For a much better take on the movie’s attempted style of humor, try The Naked Gun. For a similar adaptation with more meat on its bones, check out The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle or Mr. Peabody & Sherman. For a kids’ comedy that makes better use of Brendan Fraser, try George of the Jungle or Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
3.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.0 for a flimsy story and weak attempts at comedy.