Film

Crocodile Dundee

Name: Crocodile Dundee
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Released: 1986
Cast: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, Mark Blum, David Gulpilil, Michael Lombard

Comedy
Light-hearted

A charming fish-out-of-water romp where an Australian crocodile hunter trades the Outback for New York City. Paul Hogan's Mick Dundee is a good-natured innocent who applies Outback survival logic to Manhattan's chaos with guileless confidence. It's lightweight adventure-comedy that knows exactly what it is: warm, unpretentious, and designed to make you grin without demanding much in return.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a fish-out-of-water comedy where the charm comes from a gentle, unbothered hero who meets big-city pretension with calm good humor rather than sneers.

Skip it if you want sharp, cynical satire or a plot with real tension; the jokes here are gentle and the story is a loose, episodic amble that rarely pushes hard.

What it asks of you: Ninety-seven minutes of easygoing, mostly light viewing; it moves briskly, rarely demands close attention, and mainly wants you to settle in and enjoy its shrugging amiability.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Romancing the Stone1984

A treasure-hunting adventure that matches Dundee's blend of action, romance, and comedy. Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner have terrific chemistry, and the film balances genuine thrills with laugh-out-loud moments without getting precious about either.

But It commits harder to the adventure plot than the comedy, so if you're after pure laughs rather than spectacle, the stakes might feel a bit heavy.

Trading Places1983

Another fish-out-of-water comedy about culture shock and social reversals, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd discovering the absurdity of their switched positions. Sharp, cleverly constructed, and genuinely funny without losing heart.

But The satire has teeth in ways Dundee doesn't attempt—it's more barbed and less warm, which some might find the film takes itself too seriously.

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy in a similar setup: a sheltered outsider navigates American culture with wide-eyed optimism. Charming, inventive in its comedy, and full of affection for both Murphy's character and the world he's discovering.

But It's longer and more ambitious than Dundee, which means the pacing slackens occasionally and some gags don't quite land.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Crocodile Dundee

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie1972

Both films hang their entire premise on the collision between Australian working-class confidence and the culture it crashes into. Dundee softened and refined McKenzie's formula into something kinder, but the DNA is unmistakable.

An earlier Australian fish-out-of-water comedy about a crude Aussie battler loose in London. It's the spiritual grandfather of Dundee: irreverent, confident, full of Aussie slang and attitude, and genuinely subversive about Australian identity in ways that are only now becoming visible.

But It's a 1972 film of considerable vulgarity with sexual politics that feel fossilized—it's brazenly crude in ways that will read as dated or uncomfortable depending on your tolerance.

High Road to China1983

Tom Selleck as a roguish adventurer in a globe-trotting romantic comedy. It's got the same easygoing charm and genuine adventure beats, with a lead who's comfortable looking foolish in pursuit of a laugh.

But The plot meanders and doesn't always know how to balance its competing tones—it can feel scattered where Dundee stays focused.

Quigley Down Under1990

Tom Selleck again, this time as an American sharpshooter in the Australian Outback. It's taller and leaner than Dundee, but shares that same affection for landscape and that easy-going hero who's tougher than he looks.

But It tilts much harder into romance and drama, so the comedy element is lighter and more incidental than you might expect.

Big Trouble in Little China1986

Kurt Russell stumbling through a magical underworld beneath San Francisco with absolute conviction. It's got Dundee's commitment to playing earnest in absurd situations, with far weirder spectacle and genuine fun with its own ridiculousness.

But It's surreal and visually dense in ways that won't appeal if you want straightforward charm—the logic is dream-logic, not real-world.

The Jewel of the Nile1985

The spiritual cousin to Romancing the Stone, with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner reunited for another adventure romp across exotic terrain. Same formula, same warmth, same willingness to be silly while delivering real set-pieces.

But It's essentially a retread of the first film—if you've seen Stone, you'll recognize all the beats, just in different clothes.

The Cannonball Run1981

Burt Reynolds in a gleeful mess of a film that's pure fun about a cross-country race. Zero ambition, maximum charm, and cast full of people who look like they're having the time of their lives making it.

But It's genuinely scattered and poorly constructed—the jokes often feel like they're happening to the film rather than being part of it.

Innerspace1987

Dennis Quaid and Martin Short in a scrappy, affectionate sci-fi comedy about a miniaturized pilot inside an ordinary man. It's got Dundee's earnest enthusiasm and willingness to look ridiculous in service of pure entertainment.

But The special effects are dated, the plot is thin, and the whole thing has the feeling of a film nobody quite knew how to finish.

Walkabout1971

Where Dundee treats the Outback as backdrop for comedy, Walkabout makes it a character—strange, beautiful, and indifferent to human purposes. It shows what the landscape that made Dundee possible actually means to those who live in it.

Nicolas Roeg's haunting meditation on an Aboriginal teenager guiding two stranded white children through the Australian desert. It's visually extraordinary, genuinely strange, and builds to something unexpectedly moving about cultural collision and belonging.

But It's a slow, art-cinema meditation on existential loneliness—if you want adventure and humor, this is the opposite temperature entirely.

The Man from Snowy River1982

Both are confidence in Australianness as a sufficient thing. Where Dundee makes it a punchline and Snowy River makes it noble, both trust that being Australian, knowing the country, and having untutored good sense is enough to carry you through the world.

An adventure film about a young Australian horseman proving himself on his own terms. Genuinely thrilling ride sequences, a lead who's equally comfortable looking foolish and capable, and real affection for Australian landscape and character without winking.

But It's earnest and romantically serious in ways that are nearly opposite to Dundee's comedy register—there's no joke here, only genuine stakes.