Gulliver's Travels has Jack Black playing an employee of a New York Publication, working in the mail room. He feels like a small, insignificant person. He has a crush on the travel writer, Darcy, but does not have the confidence to ask her out. The presence of a new mail room employee encourages him to talk to her, and Gulliver ends up alone on a boat in the Caribbean to write a story about the Bermuda triangle. It is a convoluted way to get him to Lilliput, but just go with it.
His boat gets caught up in a huge waterspout and he ends up waking on a beach tied down by an army of little people. The general calls him a beast and treats him like a captured monster. He gets chained in a cave where he meets fellow prisoner Horatio. He was locked up for trying to court the princess, whom the general is likewise attracted to.
The general devises a way to use him for hard labor, but when a fire breaks out in the castle, Gulliver becomes a hero. He endears himself to the royal family, much to the chagrin of the general. When Lilliput is attacked by an armada of ships, Gulliver proves himself useful again. He is made general of the army and becomes a hero to the nation.
Posters of him are put up, and his influences become obvious. People start dressing and talking differently. The King has a home built for him. It includes a theater which does plays of Gulliver's life. The whole town comes to see Gulliver's autobiographical plays. They were in awe when Gulliver fought Darth Vader and found out he was really his father. They all cried when Gulliver died after the ship sank, leaving Rose floating in the middle of the ocean. So he embellished his life a lot. What do these little people know?
The general gets so ticked of that "the beast" is everyone's hero, and has taken his job, that he runs off to join Lilliput's enemy. He devises a plan and Gulliver and Lilliput find themselves in danger. Meanwhile Darcy has likewise found herself on the ocean being carried away by the same water spout.
Black walks through this role like he is playing every other character he has ever done. He sing some rock songs and acts stupid. He is playing his signature likable character.
Most of the laughs come from pop culture references and bathroom humor. One unfortunate small person gets sat on while Black's pants are pulled down. "Unlucky." He notes to himself as Black's nether orifice engulfs him. I bet you can't guess how Black puts out the castle fire?
Gulliver's Travels is a nice family film, with great special effects. It also contains just enough humor for the older crowd. At one point the princess asks the general what he likes about her. He points his finger at her bosom. Gulliver helps Horatio romance the princess by having him quote lyrics from Prince's song Kiss. This movie will not make anyone's best film of the year list, but you will not regret seeing it.
