The great irony of this “talking lizard helps grade school students with life” film is that it’d probably be better without the talking lizard. If it were just about the kids, it’d still be a funny, uplifting, and still kinda weird movie. But it wouldn’t need to be a cartoon and the kids wouldn’t watch it… so I get it. <Inject lizard here>

I surprisingly rather liked this film and its focus on the eighth-life crises of its ten year old kids. It’s kind of moving and smart about their problems. And in that there’s a talking lizard, I guess he’s a sounding board for them and thus serves a narrative purpose. And gives Adam Sandler yet another gig for Netflix as the voice of the lizard.

Does the lizard’s own story work in the movie? Yeah, I guess his late-life crisis bit is ok. It took me awhile to come around to Sandler’s typical weirdo voice routine… and I think he eventually loses some of the more annoying affectations as the flick rolls along.

It’s a musical too… though I have doubt about its sincerity. It breaks into these songs that seem to be poignant but part of me suspects they are goofing on us. Or maybe I’m just not on their weird wavelength.

If you were to tell me that the odd Netflix Adam Sandler lizard cartoon was going to be more inventive than Disney’s 100th anniversary toon, I wouldn’t believe you. But here we are… there’s more quirky risk-taking and inventiveness in this movie than in the blah generic Wish.

Oh, and if you were tell me the funny lizard movie was better than Trolls 3, I’d say, “Yeah duh. My bleeding ulcer is better than Trolls 3”.

This isn’t a stellar animated flick but I enjoyed myself way more than I expected… and laughed a decent amount too. The premise is odd but interesting and its focus on the emotional well-being of a bunch of ten years old pretty different for an animated film. It’s a good one.

Score: 82