Let's be realistic.

Instant Favorite.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Michael Cromwell (Tim Allen) is successful in the world of New York commodities trading. He plans to marry high fashion high maintenance girlfriend Charlotte (Lolita Davidovich) but first, he must get a divorce from his estranged wife Patricia (JoBeth Williams). Patricia is presently living with natives in the jungle and she shocks him by revealing that they had a son in 13-year-old Mimi-Siku (Sam Huntington). He reluctantly allows Mimi-Siku to go back to NY with him. It's a tough transition especially with the boy's pet spider. The kid falls for Michael's high strung co-worker Richard Kempster (Martin Short)'s daughter (Leelee Sobieski).I like nobody and they are all annoying to some degree. The worst is Short but his wackiness is not unexpected. By himself, he could be written off as a bad sidekick. The problem is that Michael is unlikeable and sadly the kid is not much better. While the dad's idiocy fits the premise, it's the boy who is the most disappointing. He should be a likeable fish out of water character. He could have a nice puppy love romance with Karen as she teaches him the ways of the city and he teaches her the nobility of jungle living. Instead, he's more of a brat especially with his pet spider and he does it all with that goofy smile. I don't like the coffee trade subplot. I don't know anything about the French original but it sounds even worst. This is misguided at its core.

As someone who has never enjoyed a Tim Allen movie, I was not thrilled when my young son said he wanted to watch this. But as a doting Dad I duly obliged.Plot In A Paragraph: A New York broker (Tim Allen) goes to find his wife with whom he has long since separated to ask for a divorce so he can remarry. His treck takes him to the Amazon where she revealed she was pregnant when they separated, and he now has a son. Chaos ensues when father and son try and bond back in New York.My thoughts while watching this were.....WOW Tim Allen is annoying. WOW Tim Allen REALLY over acts. WOW how the hell did this guy carve out an acting career?? WOW what the hell happened to Martin Shorts career that he is doing this?? WOW Martin Short has a really bad dye job. My word those are some bad effects.HEY there is a young Leelee Sobieski!! We don't see enough of JoBeth Williams on screen!! So in summary while it's interesting to see a young Leelee Sobieski, (having probably her first on screen kiss) and she was a talented stand out then. And it's always nice to see JoBeth Williams this really is one to miss, unless you are a fan of any of the stars.

Tim Allen plays an uptight New York stockbroker who ends up having to look after the teenage son he never knew he had, and who has grown up in the South American jungle.The convoluted set up leads to a straightforward family movie full of simple knockabout humour. The fish out of water antics of the boy are the main substance of the film, but there are additional threads: the gradual father-son bonding, a young love story, a Russian criminal, the realisation that different values may not necessarily be worse, for instance...This is not a sophisticated movie, but it is enjoyable for family viewing. Tim Allen anchors it well, Martin Short, Jobeth Williams and David Ogden Stiers offer sterling support, and it is good to see Sam Huntington and Leelee Sobieski in young roles.

During his success in the sitcom Home Improvement, Tim Allen's only good movie appearance was as Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story, not even The Santa Clause made the biggest impact in Britain, so this was his next attempt, from director John Pasquin (The Santa Clause). Basically Michael Cromwell (Allen) is to be married to his new girlfriend, but first he needs to divorce from his separated wife Patricia (JoBeth Williams), living in Venezuela. So he travels there to settle things, but he instead discovers he has a 13-year-old son, raised by the local tribe and named Mimi-Siku (introducing Not Another Teen Movie's Ox, Sam Huntington). Michael inadvertently makes Mimi a promise to go to the Statue of Liberty, and bring back its fire (?), so he takes him back with him to New York. What follows is obviously lots of slapstick gags relating to Mimi's upbringing, so peeing in pots, having a pet tarantula, eating weird foods, etc, all making himself or Michael look strange. It takes a while for Michael to get used to having a son, especially with all the background Mimi has, but he is obviously very sad when he has to go back home, but not before giving him the flame of Liberty (a miniature Liberty, a lighter with the torch as the flame, cute), and he does show up back in Venezuela for a little while. Also starring Martin Short as Richard Kempster, Lolita Davidovich as Charlotte, David Ogden Stiers as Alexei Jovanovic, Valerie Mahaffey as Jan Kempster, Leelee Sobieski as Karen Kempster and Frankie J. Galasso as Andrew Kempster. Allen doesn't do too bad, young Huntington adds most of the quite light but still affective jokes, not a bad family film. Worth watching!