RELEASED IN 2003 and directed by David McNally, "Kangaroo Jack" is a family-friendly adventure/comedy about two Brooklyn friends (Jerry O'Connell and Anthony Anderson) who are commissioned by a mob boss (Christopher Walken) to deliver $50,000 to a shady character in the Outback. The operation goes awry when a kangaroo inadvertently runs off with one of the guys' jacket... and the money. Michael Shannon is on hand as a mob heavy.

This is a likable, amusing adventure flick with the typical eye-rolling kid humor (e.g. fart jokes). It's fun, harmless hokum highlighted by spectacular Australian cinematography and the beautiful Estella Warren as an Outback preservationist. The humorous camaraderie of the protagonists is another highpoint. But the story isn't as compelling as I hoped it would be and the camera never really captures Estella's beauty beyond her lovely face and pulchritude.

THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 29 minutes and was shot in Australia and Brooklyn with reshoots done in Los Angeles.

GRADE: C+

I wasn't really expecting much watching Kangaroo Jack and I got more or less what I was expecting. It is not a terrible film as such, just very bland and too silly for my tastes. It has some good points, the scenery is lovely and the soundtrack is decent. Kangaroo Jack is what makes the movie, he isn't in much but he is amusing when he appears. The rest ranges from adequate to poor. The human actors are simply not very good, their characters are bland while Estella Warren can't act and Jerry O'Connell is annoying. The writing throughout is very weak, with the humour either too childish for adults or going over children's heads. The story is thin and very idiotic with the ending particularly too stupid for words. The editing could've been much smoother too. All in all, good kangaroo, not so good a movie. 4/10 Bethany Cox

I heard a story about the making of the film Kangaroo Jack. It was a dark story about mobsters putting out a hit on two young dudes who have been sent to the Australian outback who then inadvertently run over a Kangaroo.

Test audiences were rather negative about the film but the feedback was that it could do with more kangaroo scenes and more comedy and the film was reshot, recut and marketed as a silly action comedy.

Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren star in Kangaroo Jack with a cameo from Christopher Walken and an early appearance by Michael Shannon.

Charlie Carbon (O'Connell) and Louis Booker (Anderson) became best buddies when Booker saved Carbon from drowning when he was a kid. Since then Booker has always got Carbon in trouble and in the latest escapade, both end up in trouble with Carbon's stepfather (Walken) a local mobster.

To make amends they are sent to Australia to deliver a package but when they run over a kangaroo and put on a jacket on it to take pictures. The kangaroo revives and runs off wearing the jacket and with the package in the pocket. Before long they are being pursued by the people who were due to receive the package and Walken send some goons down under as well.

Its actually undemanding fun and I rather enjoyed it. Its a silly romp, O'Connell and Anderson spark off each other, Warren is very appealing and the kangaroo provides the bounce.