I liked this movie, even though I feel the trailer made it seem more funny than it actually is. Still, its enjoyable, and has the type of unbelievable humor that I like, that goofy off-the-wall ingredient that really good comedies have. Worth a watch or two.
146 Reviews
"He wasn't much of man... And now he is not much not an animal"
theinaniloquent3 November 2011
After receiving organ transplants from various animal donors, a man finds himself taking on the traits of those animals.
To start, I am a pretty big fan of Rob Schneider and his competitor Adam Sandler. They both provide that entertainment that sometimes we need to take a break from all the seriousness in this world. In the Animal, frankly I wasn't expecting the best movie ever. Nor was I expecting an Oscar. I expected a film with great laughs and a nice movie to chill back to and enjoy the little things. And yet again, I got what I had came in for. Of course, the movie doesn't provide an intelligent plot nor does it provide great characters, a great plot, or great cinematography. But once again, people still complain that DID expect this. The movie does provide great laughs though, indeed. And that's EXACTLY why the movie came out. To provide some uplifting in life. No, it is not the best movie ever. Nor is it a great movie. But if you outlook the problems and in look the good things about the film; your good to go! So that's about a wrap up. Expecting the greatest movie of all time? No way, get out! Expecting a nice, fun movie? Here you are. 6/10.
To start, I am a pretty big fan of Rob Schneider and his competitor Adam Sandler. They both provide that entertainment that sometimes we need to take a break from all the seriousness in this world. In the Animal, frankly I wasn't expecting the best movie ever. Nor was I expecting an Oscar. I expected a film with great laughs and a nice movie to chill back to and enjoy the little things. And yet again, I got what I had came in for. Of course, the movie doesn't provide an intelligent plot nor does it provide great characters, a great plot, or great cinematography. But once again, people still complain that DID expect this. The movie does provide great laughs though, indeed. And that's EXACTLY why the movie came out. To provide some uplifting in life. No, it is not the best movie ever. Nor is it a great movie. But if you outlook the problems and in look the good things about the film; your good to go! So that's about a wrap up. Expecting the greatest movie of all time? No way, get out! Expecting a nice, fun movie? Here you are. 6/10.
Good for a giggle.
aramo117 November 2001
Hypochondriac loser Marvin is not a real police office but an evidence clerk. While answering a 911 call he suffers near fatal injuries and is refurbished by some mad doctor with spare animal parts [for exact list see cuts]. Added to the is a 'boy meets girl' story and 'my boss hates me' story. The boss is very well played by John McGinley. Also included are some decent man-as-animal stunts and a good 'torch & mob' scene. Most of the comedy is action based fortunately the movie steers clear of slapstick (almost). Good for a giggle with perhaps a little too much cutting to meet the PG-13 rating.
Way better than I expected
joseayarza31 March 2002
When my family rented this movie, I was just expecting a stupid movie with a stupid plot and stupid jokes. Well, let me tell you, some jokes are unpredictable, and will cause you to laugh very loudly. Of course, there many other jokes that aer too silly (and sometimes very disgusting), but overall, this movie is a good and highly entertaining one. I really recommend it to you. Sure it´s silly, but aren´t comedy movies supposed to be silly after all?
REAL LIGHT HUMOR
flimbuff18 April 2002
Made passable by the personality of Schneider and the rest of the cast. Schneider almost killed in a car crash is saved and put back together by a 'mad doctor' who uses animal parts. What happens then is that he develops he characteristics and some of the behavior patterns of the animals. Predictable with some funny scenes and basically a good kids' movie.
stupid for good and for ill
SnoopyStyle16 May 2021
Marvin Mange (Rob Schneider) is a lowly evidence locker clerk in an incompetent police station. He's a laughing stock bullied by police sergeant Doug Sisk (John C. McGinley). He struggles to pass the physical test course to be a police officer. He has a crush on animal-loving environmental activist Rianna (Colleen Haskell). He gets into a car crash while responding to a robbery call. Unbeknownst to him, he gets operated on by mad scientist Dr. Wilder (Michael Caton).
I actually like Rob Schneider's stupidity. He's the guy to do it. He has the stupidity and he's good at it. The problem arises with the story being stupid. There has to be some smarts in this somewhere and there isn't much to be found. The humor is broad, obvious, and surface area only. The other notable aspect is Survivor contestant Colleen Haskell. She's cute but has limited acting skills. All together, this is an one-joke movie and it runs out of material well before its short running time.
I actually like Rob Schneider's stupidity. He's the guy to do it. He has the stupidity and he's good at it. The problem arises with the story being stupid. There has to be some smarts in this somewhere and there isn't much to be found. The humor is broad, obvious, and surface area only. The other notable aspect is Survivor contestant Colleen Haskell. She's cute but has limited acting skills. All together, this is an one-joke movie and it runs out of material well before its short running time.
Stupid idea, but funny movie
Quinoa19843 June 2001
The Animal stars Rob Schneider who in the movie gets the antics going as he becomes an animal filled with many different animal organs (I counted dolphin, elephant, beaver, horse, dog, goat, cat, cheetah and possibly a bear somewhere among many). This premise is one of the stupidest the SNL retiree film guys have come up with, but once again is made worthwhile by Schneider's consistently zany and nutty performance. Norm McDonald provides the film's funniest moment; executive producer Sandler also makes an appearance. Best gag though- the badger milk. B+
Exactly what I expected...
MMartian1 June 2001
Let me preface by saying I am a fan of Rob Schneider, and of Adam Sandler. I enjoyed Deuce Bigalow, and all (except for Big Daddy) of Adam Sandler's movies. So I basically was expecting some (Ok, a lot) of low-brow humor, a decent plot to keep rolling through, and to laugh throughout the movie. This movie provided just that. It wasn't the greatest comedy in the world, or a landmark motion picture, and it wasn't made to be that. Colleen Haskell's skills at acting reminded me of when they put a "famous" non-actor on Saturday Night Live, and don't give them too much to do in the skits. She's only in the movie probably a total of 15 minutes, but does what they ask of her, and does a decent job of it. The movie is a hoot, and doesn't actually stoop to every joke being a f**t joke. I laughed about every 3-4 minutes, and enjoyed the ending as well. If you're expecting something similar to Deuce Bigalow, you won't be disappointed.
Mindless Fun
jason_1321 September 2005
Rob Schneider is a famous comedian cause of his movements, facials and performances of "not humans". This time he is The Animal. Marvin is a loser who is trying to be a hero and one day, nobody takes a call from a man that gets attacked, so Marvin has to take this case and save the attacked man. But on his way to the crime scene, he crashes with his car and gets really damaged. He doesn't remember what happens and at the next ordinary day, his life is not same when he finds out that he has animal instincts. Of course, we got our female that our main character is trying to reach but his tryings, are useless. She is played by Collen Haskell. There are no negative characters. The negative character, is destiny if I could use this metaphor. Marvin should find out, how to become a normal human being again. By the way-his animal instincts, helps him in some situations. Schneider's performance is a so-so. The movie is so unreal that gets stupid at some moments but it is one of those movies, called mindless fun as I have written above. So watch it for the monkey style Rob Schneider but it is definitely not one of the best comedies ever or one of the best movies that Schneider appears in. He is a great comedian but this is not his best movie.
Looks like I'll have to defend this one
Spleen8 June 2002
No, it's not well-made, as such. And perhaps its greatest virtue is purely negative: contrary to what you would conclude from the fact that it was released in 2001 and concerns a man who has been given powerful "animal" instincts, it DOESN'T rely - not even once, so far as I can recall - on gross-out tactics. (The closest we come is when Marvin takes out a package of raw mincemeat and eats it when he thinks nobody's looking. Really, that's the closest we come.) It's NOT nasty, it's NOT unpleasant. And to move on to positive virtues: it's actually funny. Yes, I was as surprised as anyone else.
The writers are often content to stand back and let the premise do the work, but at least the premise and the fairly obvious situations that follow from it are inherently amusing. A man humping a goat isn't funny; a man fighting his urge to hump a goat because he knows it will be frowned upon, is ... actually, this particular part of the movie isn't THAT funny, but other parts are, and it's because the principle is the same throughout. When the animal humour wears thin there's often a good unrelated gag to supplement it. "That's good badger milk," says Marvin, as though badger milk were like wine and he wasn't certain what kind he was going to get. "Don't be ashamed, son," says the police chief. "I'VE eaten out of the garbage, too..." (Not THE greatest line, I'll admit, but Ed Asner gets points for delivering it in an inspired way.) And there's the guy who asks a series of questions that reveal the shy delight and eagerness he feels to be part of a mob.
I didn't know, before reading other people's comments, that Colleen Haskell was a star of one of those schlocky reality TV shows and that this was her first acting role; people who DID know this, it seemed, noticed all manner of deficiencies in her performance that simply weren't there. Haskell plays the cute chick who ends up falling for the hero. The ROLE is limited. I honestly don't see how Haskell could have played it any better than she did. (In fact, more experienced actresses usually get it wrong, and Haskell doesn't.) And at least she, unlike most actresses called upon to play this kind of role, really is gorgeous.
The writers are often content to stand back and let the premise do the work, but at least the premise and the fairly obvious situations that follow from it are inherently amusing. A man humping a goat isn't funny; a man fighting his urge to hump a goat because he knows it will be frowned upon, is ... actually, this particular part of the movie isn't THAT funny, but other parts are, and it's because the principle is the same throughout. When the animal humour wears thin there's often a good unrelated gag to supplement it. "That's good badger milk," says Marvin, as though badger milk were like wine and he wasn't certain what kind he was going to get. "Don't be ashamed, son," says the police chief. "I'VE eaten out of the garbage, too..." (Not THE greatest line, I'll admit, but Ed Asner gets points for delivering it in an inspired way.) And there's the guy who asks a series of questions that reveal the shy delight and eagerness he feels to be part of a mob.
I didn't know, before reading other people's comments, that Colleen Haskell was a star of one of those schlocky reality TV shows and that this was her first acting role; people who DID know this, it seemed, noticed all manner of deficiencies in her performance that simply weren't there. Haskell plays the cute chick who ends up falling for the hero. The ROLE is limited. I honestly don't see how Haskell could have played it any better than she did. (In fact, more experienced actresses usually get it wrong, and Haskell doesn't.) And at least she, unlike most actresses called upon to play this kind of role, really is gorgeous.
Sucked Hard
vernbob5 June 2001
I liked Deuce Bigalow (mainly because of Eddie Griffin), and decided to give this a chance mainly because we were at the mall and it happened to be starting in five minutes. It was painfully bad. I laughed mainly from nervous embarrassment for everybody involved. Whenever a bit was close to being funny, they ran it into the ground. Sandler's cameo is lame, but Norm McDonald's may have been the best part of the movie. Please don't see it. I beg you.
Pure Awesomeness
davishasrisen27 January 2003
Rob Schneider cracks me up. This movie is absolutely one hour and 20 minutes of pure awesomeness. Not making the movie long is great. The guy from office space is so funny. Everything about the animals is hilarious too. This movie is one of my top 5 comedies. I love any body from SNL. This is just another classic. Rob Schneider is absolutely one of the best comedians out there.
Very Funny
amazing1-21 June 2001
This is a very funny movie. Take it for what it is...lowbrow humor. We aren't talking a Merchant Ivory production here. To get an idea of what we're talking about: the funniest part was the "purple nurple" that Schneider gives the orangutan. Survivor's Colleen holds her own here as far as acting goes. And she's so cute Meg Ryan had better watch out because Colleen can outscrunch circles around her!! Overall, I'd give this movie a 7 out of 10.
pure Sandlerian crap
hanselmerchor23 January 2003
How movies like this one get made and even are successful at the box office is way beyond any human's understanding. The only thing I can think about is that we are all a bunch of morons to laugh at this s***. The acting is terrible, the plot is super flimsy, and worse of all the jokes pass right through you since one is hard pressed to understand what the point of the moronic joke is. Don't rent this rubbish, don't waste your money, go check something better like...O'reilly factor or other crap like that. Avoid this at all costs.
I laughed till I cried!
dizzycris1 June 2001
What a great movie! Rob is one of my favorites anyway so I went in expecting to like it and I came out loving it. Top notch comedy! I was really impressed with Coleen Haskell. Rob was just too good though. I love Duece Bigalow and I liked this one even more....I took my Mom and she is now a big Rob Schneider fan. If you need a good laugh go see this!
Funny at times
nicholls905-280-5469113 September 2019
No story and just an odd vehicle for Schneider. I will give him credit for throwing himself into the set pieces. The Animal was a film with potential but they really have nowhere to go. Fun cast, but they don't have a lot of assistance from the material and most of the jokes fall flat. Sandler style production value doesn't add high end quality. If you like this humour, you'll be in heaven, if not you'll be in hell. Simple.
The Animal - I cant unsee it
gkcochran12 August 2020
Decent, entertaining enough, NOT boring!
ca_localgirl6 November 2001
This was a short, charming and nonsensical movie which I really enjoyed. There are lots of good laugh scenes, and the plot keeps moving at a fast enough pace.
There were some cute quirks in the story line itself that made the movie and characters even more enjoyable, despite the rest of the plot being fairly predictable.
Michael Caton, who played the mad animal doctor, was absolutely hilarious. Rob Schneider does a really good portrayal of Marvin, the goofy wannabe police officer whose life is saved by getting rebuilt with animal parts after a big accident. He's definitely a funny actor who pulls off this type of roll well, and with impeccable timing. Marvin's love interest, played by Colleen Haskell, delivered her lines ok enough but the chemistry didn't really seem to be there between the two. The Rianna character definitely had the potential to be one of the more interesting characters, but most scenes with her in it had Marvin stealing (or saving) the scene.
All in all, this is a really fun comedy and delivers a laughable viewing experience. Of course it's completely unbelievable at times, but that just adds to the amusement if you let it. Don't expect it to make sense, just sit back, be entertained, and get ready to laugh!
There were some cute quirks in the story line itself that made the movie and characters even more enjoyable, despite the rest of the plot being fairly predictable.
Michael Caton, who played the mad animal doctor, was absolutely hilarious. Rob Schneider does a really good portrayal of Marvin, the goofy wannabe police officer whose life is saved by getting rebuilt with animal parts after a big accident. He's definitely a funny actor who pulls off this type of roll well, and with impeccable timing. Marvin's love interest, played by Colleen Haskell, delivered her lines ok enough but the chemistry didn't really seem to be there between the two. The Rianna character definitely had the potential to be one of the more interesting characters, but most scenes with her in it had Marvin stealing (or saving) the scene.
All in all, this is a really fun comedy and delivers a laughable viewing experience. Of course it's completely unbelievable at times, but that just adds to the amusement if you let it. Don't expect it to make sense, just sit back, be entertained, and get ready to laugh!
Bad, don't bother
rastaban318 June 2001
What can I say? This one is bad. The humor is crass and at times just plain gross. The acting was okay and did not help the film. The plot was ordinary and did not leave much to the imagination. So overall bad. However, I have to admit it did have a few good jokes but these were few and far between and not enough to save the film.
Overall, don't bother (2 out of 10).
Overall, don't bother (2 out of 10).
We All Laughed Out Loud
70mm MAN1 November 2001
It sure is a great experience when your whole family can laugh out loud.This movie has that ability. Rob Schneider is great in this movie. This movie is "old fashioned" funny. Not obscene, clean language and simple fun. Rent it for some great smiles. But I think what amazed me the most was the surprise of the acting ability of Survivor's Colleen Haskell. We all kept commenting we had seen her before but couldn't place it. Because she was never in a movie before... she was a Survivor contestant! She is extremely charismatic and pretty. And there was a great chemistry between her and Rob. She has the natural magic to be a great star and I hope she makes it! The DVD interview tells this story and all the crew loved her. Go Colleen!
Very bad comedy, One or two funny parts but thats it.
dhruvdude27 December 2002
Very bad movie. Rob schneider is a good actor but he should not do movies like this. This was a very bad comedy. I watched it because my friends told me to watch it but I didn't know that this movie would be just so bad. No one should watch this movie. My rating - 1/10
I Have To Admit: This Is Pretty Funny
ccthemovieman-115 February 2007
This was just plain funny and very entertaining throughout the goofy 83 minutes. Crude? Yes, at times, but what modern-day comedy isn't lately? The PG-13 rating is a joke. With all the sexual stuff in here, "R" is more appropriate.
Some of that sleazy stuff, to be honest, was pretty funny, though and there isn't much profanity.
Rob Schneider, as "Marvin," lays his goofy Deuce Bigelow-type character on us, trying to get the pretty girl "Rianna" (Colleen Haskell).
I really thought this would be a stupid film but Schneider's animal imitations are hilarious and, overall, this a very fast-moving, silly-but-lots of laughs film.
Some of that sleazy stuff, to be honest, was pretty funny, though and there isn't much profanity.
Rob Schneider, as "Marvin," lays his goofy Deuce Bigelow-type character on us, trying to get the pretty girl "Rianna" (Colleen Haskell).
I really thought this would be a stupid film but Schneider's animal imitations are hilarious and, overall, this a very fast-moving, silly-but-lots of laughs film.
bad? yes. but its still pretty funny
puttputtk24 June 2010
The Animal (2001)
5 word summary
Loser cop gets animal power
Now I don't wanna sit here and lie and say this is a good movie, because its not, and it deserves the low ratings that it has. However, it does have some cheap fun laughs such as the reverse racism, and sniffing peoples butts, and John C McGinley. And if you're young like I was when I first saw it, or drunk you probably will find some humor in it. If you are looking for a good movie look elsewhere.
If you like Rob Schneider films such as Deuce Bigalow, The Hot Chick, Benchwarmers, then most likely you will enjoy this film, if you hated those films you will definitely hate this one because it is probably the worst out of those four.
So again it does have some good, cheap jokes and is humorous at times as long as you can look past the bad acting. Have a few beers and perhaps you will enjoy it.
7/10
5 word summary
Loser cop gets animal power
Now I don't wanna sit here and lie and say this is a good movie, because its not, and it deserves the low ratings that it has. However, it does have some cheap fun laughs such as the reverse racism, and sniffing peoples butts, and John C McGinley. And if you're young like I was when I first saw it, or drunk you probably will find some humor in it. If you are looking for a good movie look elsewhere.
If you like Rob Schneider films such as Deuce Bigalow, The Hot Chick, Benchwarmers, then most likely you will enjoy this film, if you hated those films you will definitely hate this one because it is probably the worst out of those four.
So again it does have some good, cheap jokes and is humorous at times as long as you can look past the bad acting. Have a few beers and perhaps you will enjoy it.
7/10
One note: DULL
IOBdennis30 January 2002
NOTHING in this movie is funny. I thought the premise, giving a human the libido of a randy ram, was interesting and should provide for some laughs. WRONG! There is simply nothing funny about the movie. For example, the main character making a pass at a goat in heat in the middle of a farmer's yard is not funny, it borders on obscenity. They are toying around with bestiality in this film on one level, and it just aint funny.
We all know that dogs will eat anything, anywhere, anytime. The main character doing this with everything, everywhere, everytime is also not funny. It becomes a cliche.
Rob Schneider is, I guess, acceptable in the role. By this, I mean that he's not a bad actor, but with rotten material it's difficult to comment on quality. However, Coleen Haskell, the other half of the HUMAN-romantic leads (does one count the number of animals that the main character has interest in as romantic leads too?), seems embarrassed by the whole thing, as well she should be. She seems to be acting in some kind of vacuum, detached from all the other actors in the movie.
See this film only if you wish to be bored by tasteless, dull, repetitive material.
We all know that dogs will eat anything, anywhere, anytime. The main character doing this with everything, everywhere, everytime is also not funny. It becomes a cliche.
Rob Schneider is, I guess, acceptable in the role. By this, I mean that he's not a bad actor, but with rotten material it's difficult to comment on quality. However, Coleen Haskell, the other half of the HUMAN-romantic leads (does one count the number of animals that the main character has interest in as romantic leads too?), seems embarrassed by the whole thing, as well she should be. She seems to be acting in some kind of vacuum, detached from all the other actors in the movie.
See this film only if you wish to be bored by tasteless, dull, repetitive material.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
