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<\/p>\nLyle, Lyle, Crocodile is fanciful fun for the whole family. This lightweight fare will put a smile on the faces of littlies, their parents and grandparents. It\u2019s a live action\/CGI musical comedy \u2013 a bit of colour, song and silliness to soften even the hardest of hearts.<\/p>\n
Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem) is a wannabe big crowd entertainer, the operative word being wannabe. He\u2019s a New York City song-and-dance man with a great deal of front, whose routines haven\u2019t resonated. After being rejected for the umpteenth time from a television talent show, Valenti is told he needs to kick things up a gear. So it is that the colourful, but disappointed, character and schemer spots and walks into an exotic animals\u2019 pet shop. There he finds a cute baby crocodile (the voice of Shawn Mendes) that can sing.<\/p>\n
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With stars in his eyes, Valenti takes the croc \u2013 whom he names Lyle \u2013 home and begins working with him, preparing him for his stage debut. Only when that big moment comes, Lyle freezes. The critter gets a massive case of stage fright in front of a full house. As a result, Valenti, who has put his house on the line to fund the show, is forced to move out. But Lyle stays (with instructions to play dead if anyone spots him). In time, an uptight family \u2013 the Primms \u2013 move in. Young son Josh (Winslow Fegley) fears the big city and the dangers it poses. He\u2019s regarded as a little weird. His mother (Constance Wu) too is a worry wart, while dad (Scoot McNairy) is a strait-laced teacher. While Josh jumps at shadows, imagine his shock when he chances upon Lyle in the attic after hearing music emanating from a grate in the ceiling. Suddenly his life changes forever \u2026 for the better.<\/p>\n
Lyle becomes a constant and Josh, his mum and dad become bolder as a result. But trouble lurks in the form of a recalcitrant neighbour, Mr Grumps (Brett Gelman), who dotes on his pet cat, but has an antipathy towards fellow humans. And the self-centred Valenti re-enters the picture, ensuring more hijinks.<\/p>\n
With a screenplay by Will Davies, based on a book series by Bernard Waber, the film is perfectly pitched at young families. Notwithstanding a few flat patches, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile excelled when it descended into mayhem. Lyle\u2019s interactions with Josh and his parents \u2013 including dumpster diving, cooking and wrestling \u2013 were particularly noteworthy.\u00a0 And even though I wasn\u2019t totally convinced about the lip-syncing, Lyle\u2019s tuneful pop songs, courtesy of Shawn Mendes, hit the mark. Some of the biggest laughs come courtesy of the cat, which appears to enjoy Josh\u2019s company.<\/p>\n