Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (PG)

Shawn Mendes provides the singing voice of a bath-loving crocodile in a family-friendly musical comedy based on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber, including original songs written by The Greatest Showman duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Mr and Mrs Primm (Scoot McNairy, Constance Wu) move to New York City with their young son Josh (Winslow Fegley), who struggles to fit in at his new school. The boy gains new confidence when he meets Lyle (Mendes), the singing crocodile owned by Hector P Valenti (Javier Bardem) who lives in their attic. The reptile is warmly welcomed by the Primms but evil neighbour Mr Grumps (Brett Gelman) is plotting against Lyle.

LondonNet Film Review

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

Award-winning Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes provides the singing voice of a soulful, bath-loving reptile in a family-friendly musical comedy based on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber. Snappily directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile melds live action and cutesy digital effects a la Paddington and Alvin And The Chipmunks to extend the concept of a modern family to all creatures great, small and scaly. Wholesome messages of love and acceptance are underlined with an upbeat soundtrack of original songs penned by The Greatest Showman’s ringmasters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul…

Compared to the duo’s exemplary work on La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen, the songbook here feels a tad derivative but the rousing duet Take A Look At Us Now still gets toes tapping and Top Of The World co-written by Joriah Kwame reaches for the stars in its exultant chorus. The eponymous semiaquatic hero with a jaunty red scarf gels convincingly with teenage co-star Winslow Fegley and they are formidable when scriptwriter William Davies switches gears from slapstick to heartstring-tugging emotion for a courtroom showdown with only one outcome.

Simplistic storytelling and speedy conflict resolution should play well to younger audiences. Javier Bardem turns on the razzle dazzle as a charismatic magician with a hat full of debts while Brett Gelman visibly savours his pantomime antagonist, gleefully stroking a sour-faced pet pussy like a Bond villain as he prepares to telephone animal welfare and consign Lyle to the reptile house of a local zoo. All together now, booooo!

Mr and Mrs Primm (Scoot McNairy, Constance Wu) move to New York City with their exceedingly anxious son Josh (Fegley). The youngster struggles to fit in at his new school, where classmates including Kara (Lyric Hurd) chase fame on social media in the hope of appearing on hit TV talent search, Show Us What You Got. Josh gains new confidence and purpose when he encounters Lyle (Mendes), the singing crocodile who lives in the attic of their three-storey brownstone, once owned by conjurer Hector P Valenti (Bardem). The shy, sensitive reptile is warmly welcomed by the Primms but scheming downstairs neighbour Mr Grumps (Gelman) and his cat Loretta, a silver-shaded Persian with a delicate constitution, are constantly watching the neighbourhood through CCTV cameras.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile dances to a familiar beat and the silky vocals of Mendes, encouraging us to shuffle in our seats as characters overcome self-doubt through their newfound love of one of nature’s fearsome predators. Speck and Gordon maintain a light, breezy tone including a rooftop serenade reminiscent of The Greatest Showman’s barn-storming A Million Dreams with New York’s theatre district as a twinkling backdrop.

– Jo Planter