SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE ANIMAL

"THE ANIMAL"
(2001) (Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Moderate	Mild	Heavy	*Minor	Moderate

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	Minor	Minor	Mild	Moderate

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	Minor	Mild	Moderate

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy: Having received transplanted animal organs during a life saving surgical procedure, a lowly police file clerk turns into a super cop and must then contend with the various animal urges that are now surging through his body.

PLOT:

Marvin Mange (ROB SCHNEIDER) is a lowly police file clerk who must not only contend with his mean and condescending superior, Sgt. Doug Sisk (JOHN C. McGINLEY), but also the fact that his repeated failure to pass the required obstacle course test is what's prevented him from becoming a full-fledged cop. Accordingly, he drowns his sorrows with various friends including Miles (GUY TORRY) who thinks he receives preferential treatment due to him being an African-American.

Nevertheless, Marvin decides to report to an armed robbery in progress when he can't find anyone else to go, but ends up in a horrible, one-vehicle car accident. Rescued by rogue scientist and surgeon Dr. Wilder (MICHAEL CATON), who transplants various animal organs into his body to keep him alive, Marvin returns to work unaware of what's transpired.

He and others, including his new friend, animal shelter worker Rianna (COLLEEN HASKELL), become suspicious, however, of his newfound physical abilities and animal senses. As he soon becomes something of a super cop - sniffing out drug runners at the airport and rescuing a young, drowning boy, all of which impress the big boss, Chief Wilson (ED ASNER) - Marvin must contend with Sisk, Dr. Wilder and the various animal instincts and urges that are now surging through his body.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of Schneider, Haskell (from the original "Survivor" TV series) or stupid comedies, they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For some crude and sexual humor.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: ROB SCHNEIDER plays a lowly police clerk who dreams of becoming a real cop, but can't since he can't pass the obstacle course physical. He gets the chance, however, when he's saved from a bad car accident where he receives animal organ transplants. From that point on, he becomes something of a super cop who must contend with the various animal urges within him that make him more sexually aroused (he apparently has sex with Rianna) and do all sorts of things that some kids might want to imitate. He also drinks some.
COLLEEN HASKELL plays an animal shelter worker who falls for and apparently has sex with Marvin.
JOHN C. McGINLEY plays Marvin's police department supervisor who's constantly mean and belittling to him. He cusses and tries to shoot and kill Marvin late in the film when he mistakenly thinks Marvin's a monstrous killer.
GUY TORRY plays one of Marvin's friends, an African-American man who has it in his mind that he's a victim of reverse discrimination. He also uses some profanity.
MICHAEL CATON plays the somewhat eccentric scientist/surgeon who saves Marvin's life by transplanting animal organs into his injured body.; COLLEEN HASKELL plays an animal shelter worker who falls for and apparently has sex with Marvin.
JOHN C. McGINLEY plays Marvin's police department supervisor who's constantly mean and belittling to him. He cusses and tries to shoot and kill Marvin late in the film when he mistakenly thinks Marvin's a monstrous killer.
GUY TORRY plays one of Marvin's friends, an African-American man who has it in his mind that he's a victim of reverse discrimination. He also uses some profanity.
MICHAEL CATON plays the somewhat eccentric scientist/surgeon who saves Marvin's life by transplanting animal organs into his injured body.; JOHN C. McGINLEY plays Marvin's police department supervisor who's constantly mean and belittling to him. He cusses and tries to shoot and kill Marvin late in the film when he mistakenly thinks Marvin's a monstrous killer.
GUY TORRY plays one of Marvin's friends, an African-American man who has it in his mind that he's a victim of reverse discrimination. He also uses some profanity.
MICHAEL CATON plays the somewhat eccentric scientist/surgeon who saves Marvin's life by transplanting animal organs into his injured body.; GUY TORRY plays one of Marvin's friends, an African-American man who has it in his mind that he's a victim of reverse discrimination. He also uses some profanity.
MICHAEL CATON plays the somewhat eccentric scientist/surgeon who saves Marvin's life by transplanting animal organs into his injured body.; MICHAEL CATON plays the somewhat eccentric scientist/surgeon who saves Marvin's life by transplanting animal organs into his injured body.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief look at the content found within this comedy that's been rated PG-13. Since the protagonist is influenced by animal urges and instincts after receiving transplanted animal organs into his body, various instances of juvenile-based sexual humor are present, including references to off-screen masturbation (accompanied by animal sounds), him acting amorous toward a goat, a doctor offering a chimp to him to satisfy his sexual needs, and various shots of shapely women in revealing clothing (one of which causes him to hump a mailbox upon seeing her bend over).

An off-screen man/woman sexual encounter is implied (we see some before and after moments), some non-explicit, sexually related dialogue is present, and we briefly see a shot of the protagonist's "bare" butt that's covered with thick animal hair. Profanity consists of at least 11 uses of the "s" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are present, as is all sorts of imitative behavior.

Crude humor includes a man "marking his territory" by urinating on various things or places, and some jokes about him sniffing other humans' rear ends to find drugs (where one man apparently is smuggling some heroin). Various characters drink, some smoke and some have bad attitudes toward others.

Violence - all played for laughs - consists of, but isn't limited to, a person trying to shoot the protagonist (like a wild animal), various characters or animals hitting others, a damaging one-vehicle car accident, and a police chief shooting cadets in their bulletproof vests during an obstacle course test. If you're still concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what's present in it.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Sisk and others drink shots of liquor and then beer in a bar where Marvin and others also drink beer.
Acting like a dog, Marvin thinks he smells drugs on a man in an airport. He then catches this man, smells his clothed butt, and then reaches his hand down the back side of the man's pants, eventually retrieving a balloon filled with heroin (that presumably was in the man's rectum).
Marvin, Miles and another friend have beer in front of them.
People have wine at a reception.
People drink in a bar and some pour beer for Marvin who drinks with his two friends.
Marvin drinks wine from a glass like a dog would (lapping it up).
Some men drink beer.

BLOOD/GORE: We see a wet urine spot on Marvin's pants (from where he wet himself).
Thinking he's alone in the men's room, Marvin lets out a loud fart.
We see a dog's urine stream hitting the ground (as the dog is afraid of Marvin).
Marvin pours and then drinks some lumpy, eight day old milk that's been sitting outside his house.
We see two big and long scars on Marvin's back (from his surgical procedure).
Acting like a dog, Marvin thinks he smells drugs on a man in an airport. He then catches this man, smells his clothed butt, and then reaches his hand down the back side of the man's pants, eventually retrieving a balloon filled with drugs (that presumably was in the man's rectum). During a press conference that follows, various reporters ask Marvin what's up their butts, and he tells one that he has car keys up his (and the man says that Marvin is good).
To get an orphaned baby bird to eat, Marvin takes a worm, puts it into his own mouth and chews it up, and then lets the baby bird eat the chewed-up worm from his mouth.
After getting into a fight with a cat in some bushes, Marvin comes out and hacks up a large hairball.
When Rianna excuses herself for a moment, Marvin partially slides under their restaurant table and "marks his territory" (we see his urine stream hitting the table and/or chair legs). When she returns, she comments on the musty smell. Later, we hear and see him (from a distance) doing the same to either side of her front door.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: A bunch of young school kids attack Marvin in the police evidence room, with one hitting him with a nightstick and others spray painting the word "loser" on his shirt.
Sisk has a bad attitude toward Marvin, always belittling or making fun of him whenever he gets the chance.
African-Americans and the obese might not like certain scenes or running gags in the film, such as Miles (who's black) repeatedly thinking that he gets great service or that nothing bad happens to him because he's black and everyone's afraid to offend him, and a large woman bending over to stretch and her rear end then being in Marvin's face. We also see that someone has put a "Kick me, I'm fat" sign on the back of an overweight cop.
Some thugs on the street call Sisk and Marvin "pigs."
A waiter at a restaurant makes fun of Marvin behind his back and then decides to come on to Rianna (including massaging her shoulders) despite her being on a date with Marvin.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: It's possible that some scenes listed under "Violence" may be tense or unsettling for some viewers, but all of them are played for goofy laughs.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Handgun: Used by Chief Wilson in a police obstacle course to shoot at recruits wearing bulletproof vests.
Various rifles/shotguns: Seen in a case at the police station, and Marvin plays with one of them, accidentally causing it to fire when he tries putting it back atop the case.
We hear gunshots over the telephone when Marvin takes a call from a restaurant that's being robbed.
Shotgun: Used by Sisk to repeatedly fire at Marvin.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Bullsh*t," "Sucks," "Take a whiz (or whizzer)" (for urinate), "Where the hell have you been," "Whores," "Bitch" (for a man), "Why don't you get the hell out of here?" "You're just a regular bad ass, aren't you?" "Shut up" and "This mob blows."
A bunch of young school kids attack Marvin in the police evidence room, with one hitting him with a nightstick and others spray painting the word "loser" on his shirt. We then see that someone has put a "Kick me, I'm fat" sign on the back of an overweight cop.
A woman holds up a sign calling Marvin "Piss Stains Momma's Boy" (for when he wet his pants sometime in the past).
A large woman tauntingly smacks her rear end as she runs past Marvin.
Marvin throws dirt into an older woman's face (on a police obstacle course) so that he can get away from her attack.
As part of a police obstacle course, Chief Wilson fires a single shot at recruits who are wearing bulletproof vests. When Marvin comes upon the scene with his vest around his crotch, Wilson shoots him there.
Spotting a shotgun in a display case at the police station, Marvin retrieves it and then plays with it as if he's a real cop making a bust with it (when he puts it back, it falls from the case and accidentally discharges, shooting a hole through Sisk's coffee mug).
Marvin runs and catches a Frisbee in his mouth (like a dog).
Trying to prove how people won't adversely react to what black people do, Miles purposefully blows cigarette smoke into people's faces at an airport.
Acting like a drug-sniffing dog, Marvin blatantly smells a man's clothed rear end.
Spotting a fish in an aquarium, Marvin goes headfirst into the tank after it, eventually retrieving it in his mouth.
To get an orphaned baby bird to eat, Marvin takes a worm, puts it into his own mouth and chews it up, and then lets the baby bird eat the chewed-up worm from his mouth.
Marvin and an orangutan repeatedly blow "raspberries" back and forth at each other.
Marvin eats what looks like dog food out of a wad of paper.
Not happy with the vegetarian meal given to him at a restaurant, Marvin slyly pushes most of the food off the plate and onto the floor when Rianna isn't looking.
Marvin drinks wine from a glass like a dog would (lapping it up).
When Rianna excuses herself for a moment, Marvin partially slides under their restaurant table and "marks his territory" (we see his urine stream hitting the table and/or chair legs).
Marvin licks one entire side of Rianna's face after noticing she had some food on her cheek.

JUMP SCENES: Played for laughs, a dog suddenly jumps on Marvin and bites his arm.
A cobra suddenly rears up in its glass cage.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A tiny bit of comically suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): One song has lyrics that sounded like "smells like sh*t," while a different, sexy song has the lyrics, "Let's get it on" (as Marvin amorously approaches a female goat that's in heat).

PROFANITY: At least 11 "s" words, 4 asses, 4 damns, 2 hells and 1 use each of "For God's sakes" and "Oh my God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Thrown off by Rianna's presence, Marvin tries to state that a public bathroom they're in should have a forced air hand dryer in it, but instead calls it a "blow jobby thing" and then tries to correct himself by saying "hand jobby."
Some buxom women on a TV infomercial show cleavage, and the male host says to check out the "pecs" on one of the women, saying, "That's pure Badger Milk" while lifting up her covered breast with a pointing stick. We later see one of these women on the cover of a container and she again shows cleavage.
Marvin comes out of the shower and stands before us, with the bottom part of the shot stopping just above his crotch. He then turns and walks away and we see his fur-covered, "bare" butt. We later see a police composite sketch of a nude Marvin that shows that hair on his butt.
Acting like a dog, Marvin thinks he smells drugs on a man in an airport. He then catches this man, smells his clothed butt, and then reaches his hand down the back side of the man's pants. A presumably gay bystander then adds that he hopes Marvin's on their flight.
Marvin spots (and smells) a very shapely woman in a tight, short dress walking down the sidewalk. As his animal urges kick in, and the camera focuses in close on the woman's butt and then shows her bending over to pick up something she dropped (from behind her and then in front with cleavage), Marvin starts humping a mailbox in front of him (as we hear horse sounds coming from him).
When Marvin asks his friends if they ever have problems with control, one of them states that he does and then mentions something about being a porn addict. He then adds that he has a video about the mating habits of the hippopotamus.
Marvin mentions to Dr. Wilder that he made love to a mailbox. Wilder then says that Marvin must satisfy his various needs before they take over and then mentions that he can help him with his sex drive. Marvin politely declines the offer (what he presumes is a homosexual overture), but we then see Wilder wave off a chimpanzee that was holding up its sheer dress to show off the panties it was wearing (suggesting the chimp was for Marvin).
While investigating a case on the farm, Marvin spots a female goat and a comment is made that it's in heat. As a sexy song with the lyrics, "Let's get it on" plays, Marvin goes over and tries to act cool and/or seductive toward the goat. He eventually kisses the goat along the neck and then playfully smacks its rear end that causes it to kick him across the barnyard.
Marvin becomes turned on by Rianna while in a restaurant (seeing her dress strap fall off her shoulder) and excuses himself to go into the bathroom where he presumably masturbates (we hear loud horse sounds coming from the stall). He returns, but then stares at her chest and then has to excuse himself again to the bathroom where we hear more such excited animal sounds (including that of an elephant).
Marvin wakes up in a pasture without clothes on (we see his bare chest) after dreaming of running amongst some cows.
Seeing Marvin licking powdered sugar from his pants (and doing so near his covered crotch), Chief Wilson tells Marvin that he'll have to show him how to do that.
After Marvin and Rianna kiss some while clothed, he turns her around with his hands on her hips (as in a mating position) and then does so again after she turns to him. Rather excited, he smacks her on the rear end. He then asks that she tie him up (so that he won't hurt anyone at night). Later, and after having a dream or vision of running through the woods, Marvin awakens to find himself with his arm around Rianna who's sleeping next to him wearing just a shirt. He then asks her what happened and she says that he looked uncomfortable in his handcuffs, so he wore them for a while and then she wore them for a while (said playfully). One of them then comments about the other being an animal and that it was awesome (thus suggesting they had sex). Marvin latter comments on her having six nipples.
Seeing Marvin and Rianna kissing, one of his friends says that seeing two beasts kissing is hot.

SMOKING: Miles smokes once, while Sisk is seen with a cigar in his mouth and a miscellaneous man also smokes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: We briefly see that Marvin's father was a cop who was killed in the line of duty (we learn this from a newspaper article Marvin holds).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: The use of animal organs as replacement parts for human ones.
The way that many people treat Marvin before he gets the animal organ transplants.
The way that Marvin (and the film) portray the women he sees or meets as sexy creatures with which he wants to mate.
Whether reverse racism occurs, as Miles believes it does (in that people don't want to offend black people).

VIOLENCE: Played for laughs, a dog suddenly jumps on Marvin and bites his arm.
An older man jogs by Marvin and accidentally hits him in the face with one of the dumbbells he's swinging.
A bunch of young school kids attack Marvin in the police evidence room, with one throwing something that hits him in the face and another hitting him with a nightstick.
During a police obstacle course, a "victim" participant catches on fire when Marvin fails to extinguish the flames on the man's arm. An older woman (also a participant) then kicks and punches Marvin several times. He then tries to punch her, but she ducks and then flips him over. He then throws dirt in her face and runs away.
As part of a police obstacle course, Chief Wilson fires a single shot at recruits who are wearing bulletproof vests. When Marvin comes upon the scene with his vest around his crotch, Wilson shoots him there.
Spotting a shotgun in a display case at the police station, Marvin retrieves it and then plays with it as if he's a real cop making a bust with it (when he puts it back, it falls from the case and accidentally discharges, shooting a hole through Sisk's coffee mug).
Marvin's car goes off the road and down a cliff where it flips, careens and cartwheels its way until it runs into a tree that's knocked over. The car then continues down the cliff until it stops at the bottom (badly damaged) where a large boulder rolls over top of it. We then see Marvin's leg up next to his head (suggesting his injury).
A horseback rider is clotheslined when he runs into a tree branch while racing Marvin.
Marvin runs and jumps on a man in an airport, and then proceeds to bite him on the leg (like a police dog would).
Dr. Wilder blows a tranquilizer dart at Marvin, but it breaks through a window instead, striking a woman on her head.
An orangutan in Rianna's shelter repeatedly smacks Marvin on the head. After a moment, the two are at each other's throats, with the orangutan biting Marvin on the chin and then repeatedly banging his head on a table. Marvin then twists the ape's nipple to make him let go, and we then see the two of them fighting in the background of a shot (they're out of focus) which ends with Marvin doing a wrestling elbow drop onto the orangutan (but we don't see the impact).
A goat kicks Marvin across a barnyard (after he amorously approaches it).
Marvin chases a cat through a reception, knocking over several people. We then hear some animal fighting in the bushes and see the cat come out missing some of its hair.
Marvin head-butts a waiter in the chest or gut and drives him back into a trash dumpster.
Marvin runs and dives through a closed window (thus breaking the glass) to escape from Sisk.
Marvin shakes a tree and Dr. Wilder falls to the ground.
Sisk fires a shot that just misses Marvin. Moments later, he fires more shotgun blasts at Marvin but doesn't hit him.
Sisk's truck crashes and turns over.
Sisk is about to shoot Marvin when another person jumps onto Sisk and attacks him.

Reviewed May 15, 2001 / Posted June 1, 2001

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.