Jungle flick swings low

What can be said about Disney's 1997 summer release George of the Jungle? Go with low expectations and you won't be disappointed.

It is a silly, silly film, filled with slapstick humor, predictable plot and much larger than life adventure. On the redeeming side, actor Brendan Fraser (George) is easy to look at, as are co-stars Leslie Mann (Ursula Stanhope) and Thomas Haden Church (Lyle Van de Groot).

The main character, based on a 1960s cartoon hero, is George Primate. George, lost as an infant in a plane crash in the wilds of Africa, has grown up to become, what else,King of the Jungle.

George lives in the plane wreckage in a tree with his talking tutor/butler named Ape (John Cleese).

George spots the beautiful Ursula when she leaves her camp of experienced guides to traipse around the jungle with her fiancee, Lyle Van de Groot, in search of gorillas. Of course, she finds trouble, in the shape of a crazed lion and George comes to the rescue, carting Ursula off to his treehouse.

There is much falling down, vine swinging, and smashing into trees (and any thing else that happens to be in the way) as Ursula and George eventually make their way to San Fransisco (Ursula's jungle).

The two fall in love, of course, much to the disappointment of Ursula's fiancee and wealthy mother (Holland Taylor) and father (John Bennett Perry).

The plot is slightly complicated when two guides, Max (Greg Cruttwell) and Thor (Abraham Benrubi) decide to nab the talking ape and take him to Las Vegas to make their fortune.

Small children will love this movie as it is cartoonish in theme and content (there is a narrator's voice throughout the movie). The theme song is infectious and the scenery is quite good but, all in all, this one can wait for the dollar theater or video or maybe even cable television.