Il mistero della giungla proibita

Although this movie has not done well on the polls of Amazon, whenever I've seen it I've always found it enjoyable. (So much so that I felt obliged to write this brief review on it !!) O.k, its a bit daft in places and some of the humour is a bit dated perhaps, but the story trundles along with plenty of twists, its not predictable and the relationship between the two main two characters slowly builds up and develops throughout the film.

Both Tom Conti and Terri Garr give good performances and are believable in their roles. (And I've always had a shot spot for Terri Gar, and I find her particularly appealing in this film !)

The bungling villains are also well played (though a bit cheesy) and Christopher Lloyd seems to enjoy playing his part.

Overall, this film is never going to be considered a masterpiece as its just a light hearted family comedy adventure story - designed to be watched by kids, but engaging and entertaining enough to be watched by their parents as well.

I'm a Tom Conti fan and was attracted to the movie because he was in it. After seeing it the first time I tried to count the number of miracles that occurred. Little ones and big ones, but what I liked best was how all the little miracles kept bringing the hero closer to where he was needed. I didn't realize this until the end of the movie. I enjoyed the way the relationship between the husband and wife changed due to adversity, how they came to depend on each other rather than being independent. The love story is honest, the adventure scenes exciting, the photography clear and colorful, not drab and gloomy. I've seen this movie several time and whenever I have a chance I get someone who hasn't seen it over to watch it. This is a great little movie with a big message.

Watched this 80's movie on TV and it came with the latter-day warning about the dangers of flash photography, when in truth, it should have come with a warning for the ears, as it's filled almost from start to finish with shouts, screams, bangs and crashes. From that particular era when Hollywood was churning out slapstick marital rom-coms seemingly by the score ("Ruthless People", "First Wives Club" et. al.) "Miracles" seeks to emulate "Romancing The Stone" (sort of) but adds the twist of employing a UK actor in the lead role - Tom Conti, but inexplicably lumbering him with an American accent.

Unfortunately, Tom's accent, like the couple's ill-fated plane journey, bales out about half-way to its intended destination, while alongside him, Teri Garr, as his newly-divorced lawyer ex-wife gets all wet and emotional in a pink ball-gown she's required to wear from start to finish. Along the way, taking in the "miraculous" coincidences which presumably inform the film's title and see lots of little good things happen, usually to the indigenous Latin American population of the country they cross into, springing okay, miraculously, from their haphazard adventures, they arrive, you'll not be surprised to learn, at a happy ever after conclusion, reuniting them and seeing them re-marry over the closing sequence.

Christopher Lloyd gets to reprise his "Taxi" / "Back To The Future" kookiness but the law of diminishing returns was already applying by this time. For an episodic chase film like this to work, it helps if you've got likable characters, smart one-liners and exciting stunts. Unfortunately, this film has none of the above and thus seems far longer than it actually is so that you'll probably be glad, like me, when it reaches its nondescript ending.

Read reviews anywhere about the 1986 version of Miracles starring Terri Garr and you will either see terrible ratings or outstanding ratings. You seldom see any middle ground except in the averages of the reviewers. I thought I would add this thumbs-up rating to balance out the bad. I admit that if you are not in the mood for a comedy, forget this movie. There are no profound morals or insights into life. There is no social injustice righted. Few things in this movie would ever happen in real life. Yet, if you are in the mood for comedy, Miracles (1986) will certainly provide the motivation to laugh.

Bad things happen to a recently divorced couple, but in the wake of their misfortunes are subtle "miracles" for others. Part of the humor comes from the fact that when faced with dangerous situations, this bickering couple is more concerned with complaining how each other is reacting to the dilemma than the gravity of the situation itself. There is a wide variety of comedic techniques from slapstick to subtle humor. This movie revolves around a recently divorced couple who have such fundamental differences that they would never get back together in real life. However, this is not real life. It is a romantic comedy where miracles can take place, especially in a movie that bears that name.

I was in the mood for a comedy when I watched this movie, and I was not let down.

How can you top Tom Conti, Terri Garr, Paul Rodriguez, Christopher Lloyd and a good script? Lots of very clever and subtle (some not-so-subtle) humor as well as a nice message run through this delightful movie.

I've always liked Terri Garr anyway (Full Moon in Blue Water, After Hours, and, of course, Young Frankenstein]), so it wasn't much of a stretch for me to love this film.

This is the kind of film that turns up at 7AM Sunday morning on a cable movie channel...in point of fact, that's where I first saw it...and catches you by surprise. As soon as it's out in DVD I'm going to snap it up.

Besides, any movie that can make the line "look for feet ground" hilarious gets my vote.