Jason C
Reviewer

      At funerals, there is always a crazy uncle who wants to throw in a joke or two. You laugh, but it's an uncomfortable laughter. The same goes for “Rugrats Go Wild!” Whether it's a terrible song and dance number featuring Bruce Willis as the voice of dog Spike or an ongoing plotline revolving around Phil and Lil's desire to eat bugs, the humor attempts are there but fall flat with children and adults alike.
 
      In the action-adventure tale, the Rugrats clan go aboard a rickety old boat, aiming for a vacation in island paradise. But when a giant wave out of “The Perfect Storm” turns the boat into kindling, the families must survive on a deserted island. Getting no main billing in the film is the cast of the successful series “The Wild Thornberrys”, who are on the island researching a leopard. Maybe Nickelodeon kept the show's name off the title to save them the embarrassment after their own movie last year barely made back its budget.
 
      Whatever the reason, the Thornberry family provides the film with most of its intrigue and adventure, as baby antics become nauseating quicker than a dirty diaper.
 
      Many adults will only find the film's many movie references to be the reason to stay awake. Odes to “Taxi Driver”, “The Perfect Storm”, “The Poseidon Adventure” and even “The Piano” keep audiences on the lookout but seem to prove the writers' laziness rather than smart wit, as seen in movie references from movies such as “Hot Shots”.
 
      “Rugrats” was one of the funniest children's shows on television in the late 1990s and scored huge successes with its first two movie adventures. However, “Rugrats Go Wild!” proves that the series is on its last legs, and we are in a new generation of children's humor: one dominated by, sadly, a sea sponge with underpants.