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Dudley Do Right (1999)
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Movie Review by Mike 
July 4th, 2008
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Dudley Do-Right - Usually
Before I start this review, I want to establish one fact: "Dudley Do-Right is a live-action movie of a badly-drawn cartoon that cashed in on the popularity of "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle." So if you plunk down your hard-earned cash and expect "Citizen Kane", well, of course you're going to thumb your nose at this movie.
For the rest of us, or at least for me, "DudleyDo-Right was a delightfully goofy send-up of an moderately funny 60's cartoon. Brendan Fraser puts on his usual totally committed performance as the upright, square-jawed hero, whose absolute sense of right and wrong are put to the test in the most absurd ways possible. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a convincingly vapid Nell Fenwick, the object of Dudley's affection. The writers tastefully left out the love triangle between Dudley, Nell and Dudley's horse, named, uh, Horse (how can you portray bestiality and a threesome comically in a kid's movie?).
The movie, without really giving anything away, is the eternal battle between the forces of Good (Dudley) and Evil (Snidley Whiplash, performed with perfect deadpan focus by Alfred Molina). Molina is the real star here, utilizing every second of his screen time to portraying not a two-dimensional carbon copy of the cartoon Snidley, but putting in a real comic performance as the villain who deals in the real world. He nimbly dances in and out of the reality the movie tries to inject with the cartoon violence that's expected from, well, a cartoon. Adding the commentary throughout the movie is The Narrarator, a staple in all Jay Ward projects. And like The Narrarator in the original cartoon series, he acts as both unheard and unseen commentator and as an additional character interacting with the characters in the movie. There is also a hilarious performance by Eric Idle, portraying a wizened prospector who teaches Dudley how to get back in touch with his inner hero.
Putting all these elements together really gives you a "feel" of the original cartoon, and a great way to munch your popcorn and put your brain on hold for a couple hours. Kids may not understand the some of the comedy, but they will enjoy the cartoon violence. If you enjoyed the original cartoon, than this is the flick for you.
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