Special Coverage The Photo IssueThe Must List2008 Fall TV2008 Fall Movies2008 Fall Music
  • --

Credits

Rated: PG-13; Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama; With: Ben Kingsley

If you're looking to rent a travelogue showcasing the tropical beauty of Brazil, go no further than The Fifth Monkey. But if you like a little plot with your landscape, consider taking home a National Geographic tape instead. It will probably have more narrative cohesion than this contrived cinematic journey from forest to city. Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) tries in vain to enliven his lackluster role as a naive peasant who makes his living capturing wild animals until a family of winsome chimps persuades him that it's a politically incorrect career choice. If that sounds a mite feeble, it is. (Some interest might have been generated by pointing out that chimps are not native to the continent. Strangely, however, no one seems to notice.) This is a movie that wants to be Chimpanzees in the Mist, but it's really just dead in the water. C-


Sign up for EW.com's What to Watch Newsletter!

What to watch on TV. Hear what's on tap for the night ahead and get witty, morning after recaps of top shows (sent weekday mornings).
Posted Jun 21, 1991
 

Add Your Comments

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. You must have javascript enabled to submit a comment.
--
Change/Edit your grade
characters remaining