Gulliver's Travels

Rating : 3/10
Release Date : 24th December, 2010 (India)
Time : 85 minutes
Director : Rob Letterman; Writer : Joe Stillman, Nicholas Stiller (based on the book by Jonathan Swift) ; Music : Henry Jackman
Starring : Jack Black, Amanda Peet, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Billy Connolly, Chris O’Dowd
The scale of the suspension of disbelief required to enjoy this one will make a Liliputian out of anyone

This is the age old story if Gulliver, who travels to a place named Lilliput, almost existing in a parallel world, where everyone is extremely tiny (the size of a toe finger) and his adventures in that strange land


To contemporize the story, Gulliver, played by Jack Black, is a non-entity working in a mailroom of a travel office, the kind of guys who for several years cant bring himself to ask his crush, Amanda Peet (who works in the same office) out. He suddenly finds himself in Lilliput. Here he finds himself feted by the residents of Lilliput as he thwarts an attack by their foes and rescues the royal family (in a rather unique fashion). However, he does make an enemy out of the General (Chris O’Dowd), who suspects something amiss in the tall tales that Gulliver tells. Will Gulliver and true love triumph over the Generals machinations ?


Jack Black was brilliant as the crazy guy in High Fidelity. Here he comes across as forced ‘whacky’. The playing with the Star Wars figurines, the way he puts out the fire, the dating tips he gives out, the jeans with the butt showing…they all have a tired, laboured feel. The entire subplot with the princess (Emily Blunt) and the commoner (Jason Segel) or even the ‘main’ plot between Jack and Amanda were not really fleshed out well, didn’t integrate too well with the rest of the story



Logically, there were several flaws. Comically, there were a few funny moments (the plays about his ‘life’, the Times Square replication with the ads, the moments in the dollhouse) but these weren’t sustained. Storywise, it was all too predictable.

This one is best left for the kids…