MVP: Most Valuable Primate

"Jack skates a little faster... Shoots a little harder... And is driving everyone bananas."

2000 1h 33m EN

💀

4.8

SKIP

🥫

40%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

4.3

IMDB

★4.8TMDB · 98🥫40%Rotten Tomatoes●43Metacritic★4.3IMDB · 2,997

ComedyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jack is a three-year-old chimpanzee who has been the subject of a long-term experiment by Dr. Kendall, a researcher who been teaching Jack to communicate through sign language. Jack scrambles onto the ice in the midst of practice for Steven's junior league hockey team, and he and his teammates discover the monkey has a natural talent for the game.

“Jack skates a little faster... Shoots a little harder... And is driving everyone bananas.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Cast

Kevin Zegers
Steven Westover
Jamie Renée Smith
Tara Westover
Alexa Benette Fox
Jane
Lomax Study
Dr. Kendall
Russell Ferrier
Darren
Jane Sowerby
Julie Beston
Ingrid Tesch
Susie Westover
Philip Granger
Mark Westover

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Vince
Writers: Anne Vince, Robert Vince
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "MVP Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Vince, shot by Glen Winter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brahm Wenger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kelly Herron shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kevin Zegers and Jamie Renée Smith and Alexa Benette Fox carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Vince directs. Glen Winter behind the camera. Brahm Wenger scores. Kelly Herron cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
226 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
4Part of the "MVP Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Robert Vince, shot by Glen Winter. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Brahm Wenger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kelly Herron shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kevin Zegers and Jamie Renée Smith and Alexa Benette Fox carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Jack skates a little faster... Shoots a little harder... And is driving everyone bananas.".
10IMDB entry: tt0196106 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 98 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Glen Winter
Original score: Brahm Wenger
Editing: Kelly Herron
Production design: Brian Davie
Costume design: Cali Newcomen
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: MVP: Most Valuable Primate (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 43/100
IMDB rating: 4.3/10 · 2,997 votes
MPAA: PG
US box office: $1,248,746

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Part of

MVP Collection

Jack is a three-year-old chimpanzee who has been the subject of a long-term experiment by Dr. Kendall, a researcher who been teaching Jack to communicate through sign language. ack scrambles onto the ice in the midst of practice for Steven's junior league hockey team, and he and his teammates discover the monkey has a natural talent for the game.

Also by

Robert Vince

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2024-05-14
★ 7/10
Low quality, but a harmlessly fine 90 minutes. I found <em>'MVP: Most Valuable Primate'</em> to be perfectly passable. Sure it isn't a movie that requires any sort of thinking, it's very silly and would never top great film lists and/or win any major awards. However, not a single part of me disliked this as a movie. It's flimsy but watchable. The beginning also holds more depth than anticipated. Kevin Zegers and Jamie Renée Smith are likeable leads, while those chimps are cute - and convincing 'actors', btw! Rick Ducommun is also involved, always remember that guy from 1994's <em>'Blank Check'</em>. Elsewhere, I proper thought Devin Ratray appears here as Larry, turns out he was played by Trevor Roberts - a bit of a doppelgänger! Two more of these flicks left to watch. One of the best trilogies of all-time, I'm sure.

Production companies