[7]

Formulaic romantic comedies don’t usually fly with me, but when you place a genuine, sincere element into the formula, an element like Paul Hogan, it sometimes doesn’t matter how old the story is. And I have to credit Hogan and his fellow screenwriters for writing a central love relationship that doesn’t belabor itself. The characters don’t have to talk a lot for us to know they love each other, and they don’t have to go through the obligatory breakup in order to contrive a happy ending. Aside from the smart, simple script, I also genuinely like Hogan and his co-star Linda Kozlowski. Maybe they have that ephemeral thing called ‘chemistry’, or maybe they’re just spared the crap dialogue most romantic comedies are filled with. I think it’s both. (The two married after filming.)

The film does have a happy ending, and it’s one that makes this jaded rom-com hater smile. It has something to do with the way that loaded, awkward line “I love you” is said (and repeated). Whatever it lacks in originality, Crocodile Dundee makes up in character. And myriad other mawkish rom-coms would be wise to study its austerity.

Oscar Nomination: Best Original Screenplay