There are two types of films made by former "Saturday Night Live" cast members: those that go off one joke for the entire film and those that focus on an underdog who gets his revenge. Luckily for Rob Schneider, his newest film-- Columbia Pictures’ "The Animal"-- falls under the second, and more enjoyable, category.
"The Animal" focuses on Marvin Mange (Rob Schneider), a police evidence file clerk who is brought back to life by animal parts when he gets in a near-fatal car crash. As he starts to fulfill his dream of being an officer, mainly thanks to his newfound animal senses, Marvin discovers that he is losing control of his animal urges—especially when he is in the presence of his love interest Rianna ("Survivor"’s Colleen Haskell). Now, Marvin is trying to live a normal life as a man who is half human, half wild animal… but how long can he contain the beast within before he's more animal than man?
The script to "The Animal," which was co-written by Schneider and "Men Behaving Badly" executive producer Tom Brady, is actually more complicated than it seems at first glance. Schneider and Brady worked hard to create a film that has a story behind it even if the jokes were taken out. Complete with numerous clues that come together for a surprise ending no one expects until the last few scenes, "The Animal" is definitely one of the smarter, well-written films to star an "SNL" cast member.
Rob Schneider is hilarious as the half man, half-animal creation. Fans of Schneider’s have never seen him perform such type of physical comedy before, and it’s a delight to see this comic in full-force. However, while Schneider is a riot as he transforms from human to animal, he never loses the innocence and loser-like quality that makes viewers feel for his character within the first few minutes of the film. By carrying his original persona along with his animal-like antics, Schneider delivers a performance that is funny without ever being completely unrelatable for viewers.
While Colleen Haskell-- who marks her feature film debut in "The Animal"-- may not be able to take the spotlight away from Schneider, she manages to stand on her own two feet during the film. Haskell plays Rianna with such sweetness that it is easy not only to see why Schneider’s character is so head over heels in love with her but also to remember why she was dubbed as ‘America’s Sweetheart’ after "Survivor." While Haskell doesn’t show a wide range of emotion during the film, she does manage to use her limited on-screen time to be both believable as her character and to show the public her potential to grow as an actress.
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