The Animal (Special Edition)

Rob Schneider, Colleen Haskell. Quirky comedy about a gravely injured policeman who is given replacement animal organs, and begins to act on animal instincts. 2001/color/83 min/PG-13.

You expect cheap gags from a Rob Schneider movie, and The Animal delivers in the best possible way. Schneider plays Marvin Mange, a schlub of a police file clerk who drives off a cliff and is horribly mangled--only to wake up not only whole, but feeling better than he ever has in his life. He suddenly develops strange powers that lead to him being praised as a super cop. Unfortunately, his powers are the result of a scientist's bizarre experiment--and before long, some side effects start to take over his life. It's hard to put a finger on Schneider's appeal, but he's got something. He can get away with tasteless jokes about bestiality and bodily functions because... well... he's sort of helplessly sympathetic, and somehow this actually makes him funny. --Bret Fetzer