Rugrats Go Wild! Movie Review

You would have figured that with a show and movie series as delightfully cynical as Rugrats would have had the foresight to see that naming a movie with “Go Wild” in the title is just asking for insult. The similarities between the "Wild" movies go beyond the titles. Both take place in exotic getaway spots (a deserted island / a deserted alley outside a cheap New Orleans bar in Mardi Gras). Both involve a large cast of characters whose names you don’t remember and whose voice you can barely make out through the sucking, slurping, or slurring of something or another. Oh yeah, and both are an utter waste of time unless your mind can't discern between binki-ness and kinkiness.

As if your kid will care, Rugrats Go Wild! is a cross between the shows Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, in which a Rugrats family vacation leads to being stranded on a deserted island. The only other inhabitants are the Thornberrys, a dysfunctional set of explorers with a souped-up RV that makes the new Lexus SUVs look like bumper cars. The adults get the idea to start going Lord of the Flies. The babies get the idea to start going exploring, and I get the idea to leave the theatre before dealing with an extra hour and a half of wasted time.

I really should learn to listen to my gut.

Unlike Rugrats: The Movie and Rugrats In Paris, Rugrats Go Wild! doesn’t have an iota of that sweet, cynical charm that has made the show something parents could watch without feeling like they were trapped by an evil purple dinosaur with a pot belly. The sweet charming once-per-show gags of characters are dragged out for an hour and a half until all the charm is lost. The result: Instead of Angelica reminding you of your cute and bossy little cousin, she just comes across as a dumb brat you want to smack. Instead of coming across as a cute explorer of a kid, Tommy comes across as the guy who will grow up to be the guy in the horror movies who thinks it’s a good idea to split up in a creepy haunted house. And instead of coming across as a funny, Rugrats Go Wild! comes across as an adult torture device.

Rugrats Go Wild! is a waste of time, money, and product placement spots. Even your three-year old won't remember it the next week and will wander away if you ever decide to rent it as a video. But there is one redeeming quality of Rugrats Go Wild!, it did make me want to go see Finding Nemo again.

Under rug swept.