Naive, loopy, condescending and inspired, “The Gods Must Be Crazy” is a goofy ride through the Botswana bush, offering something for everybody.
Parents will enjoy the 1984 hit’s portrayal of an isolated Kalahari tribe with few material possessions. A glass Coke bottle falls from a passing airplane, and suddenly the tribe is split by envy, covetousness and anger. How could such a simple object seem so important?
A bumbling romance develops, meanwhile, between a tongue-tied male biologist and a visiting teacher from the big city. A good dose of slapstick involving an attempted rebel coup will please action-movie fans.
Finally, the family’s skeptics can argue whether director Jamie Uys is celebrating the values of native culture, or coating them in paternal, potentially racist saccharine.
The most intriguing plot of the movie, and the one that enchanted U.S. audiences when the foreign film arrived three years after it was made, follows tribesman Xi (played by a Uys-discovered native named N!xau). He concludes the Coke bottle is an evil gift from the gods and must be thrown off the edge of the world. On his trek, he gets hopelessly mixed up in the madcap high jinks of the coup and the romance.
Watching “Gods” these days can make you nostalgic for what seems like a distant era – 1984! – when a sweet, silly film swept the nation.
Each Tuesday, Michael Booth uncovers a movie gem for families in search of rewarding entertainment. He can be reached at mbooth@denverpost.com; find the “Screen Team” blog at denverpostbloghouse.com.
