Lyle - Mein Freund, das Krokodil

It's oddly good.... in a weird way? Given the concept anyways. Just turn your brain fully off and enjoy the ride. I started watching it as a joke and found myself loving the quirky main characters almost instantly. Plus the music is pretty decent I won't lie. There is subtext there and it is definitely telling a story if you look deeper into it, you just have to ask yourself how deep you WANT to look into a movie like this. I think its a good film to watch, even as an adult, if you just fully want to forget about the world for a little under two hours. It's also quite funny to hear Shawn Mendez coming out of a Croc... what a movie.

The great feeling that comes from a children's movie. It's quite interesting that Javier Bardem plays such a funny and less serious character, I hope he gets more roles like this in the future, he also sings pretty well. Especially Shawn Mendes, whose voice suits Lyle so well that I can't even imagine.

Personally, I enjoy this movie a lot compared to other recent Hollywood movies. The film composes songs that are easy to listen to and the humorous situations are subtly included. Hope the movie gets the attention it deserves A round of applause to the cast and crew for making such a good movie adaptation.

I'm in my mid-20s and I like Shawn Mendes' voice as Lyle. Having him in the film made it good to watch, but I thought it's plot could have been better. Some of the characters are not emphasized as much as I thought they would be and some of the music is a bit basic. Also, the conflict in the movie was not as climactic as I thought it was going to be in my opinion. Nevertheless, I do not think that watching the film was a total waste of time or money. It's important to keep in mind that this is a musical for kids and therefore the plot is going to be somewhat basic. If you're a Shawn Mendes fan and/or a parent who wants to take his/her kid to see a movie, it's worth a watch.

The pivotal character is a 50-ish entertainer-magician (Javier Bardem) who keeps trying to make it but isn't quite talented enough. As the movie begins we see him yet again trying to get on the TV show competition named "Let's See What You Got." With no success. However as he goes to the curio shop to find something truly unique he hears a soft, pretty singing voice. Digging through the clutter he discovers this small crocodile, barely larger than a mature lizard, happily singing away. He buys him and names him Lyle.

The movie unfolds as a story of this man and the crocodile that grows and grows into a full-size croc. Lyle can't speak but understands humans, and can sing appropriate songs at times in reply. The goal is to make a lot of money with their song and dance routine. However the man doesn't count on one thing, Lyle suffers from stage fright in front of a crowded theater. The middle part of the story is Lyle ending up with a new family in the New York duplex, and the new family dynamic that results from all that.

My wife and I watched it at home, on DVD from our public library. In truth we enjoyed it a bit more than we expected to.

Good movie.

Lyle is an absolutely adorable character. And Javier Bardem and Constance Wu deliver excellent performances. All in all, it was a moderately enjoyable affair.

What kept Lyle from reaching its potential were the story, the pacing and the songs. The story lacks an antagonist, a threat, some kind of objective that looms large. And that absence is felt, with multiple moments begging the question "wonderful characters, but what is this all about ultimately?".

The pacing was a little off, with really exciting moments followed by long, trudging luls. While everyone was so very incredibly charming, the movie did feel boring at times.

Finally, the missed opportunity is the songs. They're simply not iconic. I still remember songs from Frozen, Moana, Encanto and others, but I'm confident that I won't remember any of the tunes from Lyle.

This may not read like a particularly flattering review and that's not my intention. I though Lyle was nice, but not particularly so. I might just be spoiled by what seems like so many other exceptionally good animation films these past few years.