Krippendorf's Tribe

Description

This outrageous comedy stars Richard Dreyfuss (MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS) and sexy Jenna Elfman (TV's DHARMA AND GREG), who discover that primitive culture is as close as your own backyard! Instead of documenting a previously unknown trible in New Guinea, Professor James Krippendorf (Dreyfuss) has blown the last two years ... and all his grant money ... rearing his out-of-control kids! Desperate to bluff his way past impatient colleagues, Krippendorf decides to focus his camera on the wildest tribe he can find: his own outragoues offspring! With a top cast including Lily Tomlin (DISNEY'S THE KID) -- you'll find the crowd-pleasing lengths taken to pull off this hoax absolutely hilarious!

Customer Reviews:

Comedy for Anthropologists.......2006-03-01

I own this on VHS and it is only one of two movies I can think of that is comedic and concerns anthropology, unless you count N.C.'s early Yanomamo documentaries. The other is "The Gods Must Be Crazy." Yes it is funny- they both are. It's a little bit too formulaic as a comedy to rate five stars but Lily Tomlin is hilarious as the competitive colleague. And I've always liked Richard Dreyfuss since he first stuck his head in the doorway of Dustin Hoffman's room in "The Graduate". Just fun.

It was hilarious.......2005-06-03

I laughed a lot. It was a unique movie; I have never seen anything like it before. If you like off-beat comedies like "Captain Ron" and "Carbon Copy", you'll enjoy this. If you take things too seriously like a New York theater-goer, then this is not your film.

The Case Of The Scandelous Shelmikedmu Scam!.......2004-06-25

Pity poor Professor Krippendorf! His wife has died, he is doing only a so-so job of raising three dysfunctional children, and, as if he does not have enough problems already, he has sqandered money from his college that was supposed to be used to find a mysterious missing New Guinea tribe, which he has not done. His solution? Fake it. He announces the discovery of a make-believe tribe, the "Shelmikedmu" (the name derived from his childrens' names). One thing leads to another, and before you know it there is a national Shelmikedmu craze. Ah, but what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. Not all believe him and it is only a matter of time before the truth may be discovered. Will Krippendorf succeed or will he be caught?

To give this movie credit, it has its funny moments. Dreyfuss is good as Krippendorf, up and coming actor Gregory Smith also holds his own as Krippendorf's son. Unfortunately, there is a major problem with this movie - Krippendorf is is the wrong! This guy has stolen college funds, lied, corrupted the morals of his children, and we are to believe he is the good guy. If the move has a moral, it seems to be "it's okay to do something you shouldn't, as long as you don't get caught".

That is a no-no.

Krippendorf's Funny!.......2004-06-11

Professor Krippendorf got so caught up in being a parent after his wife passed away that he spent his anthropology grant money with nothing to show for it. In essence, he embezzled it. Having broken the law and ruined his career (if he gets found out), he decides that there's really no difference between a small fraud and a big one and so he goes ahead to invent a giant hoax. The popularity of the bizarre tribe he invents is so immense that he can't escape its vortex and takes shameless advantage of everyone including his family and his amorous and greedy grad student to perpetuate his humbug. What makes this flick funny is the over-the-top, go-for-broke way in which the characters abandon every moral fibre. And then there's the surprise ending!

Actually, 3.5 stars.......2003-08-24

"Krippendorf's Tribe" isn't Richard Dreyfuss's best movie to date, especially having released the stunning "Mr. Holland's Opus" two years previous. Some of his lines were overreacted. Besides this, there are good elements in the movie. Some funny scenes will catch the audience's eyes. However, the borderline between fantasy and reality needed to be recognized by the producers. Despite, faking eyecatching "Shelmikedmu" rituals to gain national recognition is clever. Such scenes lead the audience to a surprising conclusion. Lily Tomlin plays the funny role that viewers either love or hate. Some of Jenna Elfman's lines were underreacted, but when she shines, she shines bright. Notice rising star Gregory Smith, the middle child. He's performed better, but his role was still underrated.

Fans of certain actors in this movie should rent "Krippendorf's Tribe" once. Some mixed opinions about the outcome will arise, but everyone will be entertained.

DVD:

DVD

DVD