Anaconda, directed by Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 2022) does not take itself too seriously, making self-aware use of familiar tropes with a nod to the meta-silliness of it all. An action-comedy with heart, mildly spiked with a trace of intrigue and suspense, it is best enjoyed if one does not take it too seriously. The film follows best friends Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) trying to realize their youthful dream of making a film together. Zany and outrageous as ever, Jack Black and Paul Rudd, with his boyish good looks and aptitude for silliness, are perfect foils for one another. It’s a hilarious adventure and strikes a very precise chord in its evocation of the desire to relive the giddy exhilaration of creating something together with friends.
Doug is still living in the town where he grew up, working for his father as a videographer. Although happy with his life with wife Malie (Ione Skye) and son Charlie (Sebastian Sero), his current job is vastly different from his youthful dreams. When his father promises that someday in the not-too-distant future the business will be all his – Doug is not particularly excited about the prospect. His friend Griff made it to LA, but hasn’t made it as an actor, stress over his lack of success leads him to fumble even the simplest of lines he has as an insignificant extra on a show. Claire (Thandiwe Newton) is also at a crossroads, as is Kenny (Steve Zahn). When the four friends get together, laughing and reminiscing about the no-budget movie they made together at age thirteen, the stage is set for Griff to suggest they join forces once more to do a remake of the cult classic horror film Anaconda (1997). Lawyer Claire puts her savings into the project and they all head out to the Amazon jungle. It’s wacky and irrational, and that’s the fun of it.
There is a unique thrill to working on a creative project with friends for the first time as a young person, unfettered by the knowledge, experience, and responsibilities that come with maturity. The products of those early efforts are usually not great art, but the feeling of working on them – fearless, because one doesn’t yet know what to fear; breaking the rules because one doesn’t know what they are – and the intensity of the intimacy that emerges from that experience, is intoxicating and inimitable. That is what Anaconda gets right, as the four friends remember what it felt like to make that juvenile short, and on their wild adventure, try to make it happen once more.
Some of my favorite scenes are of Doug and Griff brainstorming ideas for their film, talking about serious themes, when they really just want to make a film about a scary snake.
Anaconda
Director: Tom Gormican; Cast: Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn
