NEW YORK (OSV News) – An appreciation of the comedy "Anaconda" (Sony) hinges on two things.

First, knowledge of all the plot details of the eponymous 1997 thriller, which starred Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube. References to that film constitute a running joke throughout the script director Tom Gormican penned with Kevin Etten. So only the informed will be in on that aspect of the humor.

Second, a taste for the comic talents and blustery persona of Jack Black. Although he's currently very much the bankable movie star, a characteristic scene here has him being chased by an outsized snake with the carcass of a wild hog duct-taped to his back. Portions of this sequence were included in the trailer. So viewers can't say they weren't warned.

As that elaborate scenario suggests, the gags in general are hit-or-miss. As for the screenplay's moral about the importance of following youthful dreams in order to be true to yourself, it comes across as flimsy.

Childhood friends Doug (Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) are not where they want to be in their lives. Doug, once an aspiring filmmaker, produces wedding videos in the duo's hometown of Buffalo. Griff went to Hollywood to become an actor, but has only succeeded in securing small parts in bad TV dramas.

A visit home from Griff convinces Doug that the time has come to make the pair's showbiz dreams come true, however belatedly. Together they'll craft an homage to the Clinton-era cult classic -- or, as Doug prefers to call it, a "spiritual sequel."

Another friend, Claire (Thandiwe Newton), not only gets enlisted in this project but her life savings, to the amount of $43,000, will provide its budget (down from a hoped-for $2.5 million). With yet a fourth pal, undependable, hard-drinking Kenny (Steve Zahn), in tow, the trio sets off for the Amazon.

Complications, needless to say, ensue. In short order, the crew's principal prop, a more-or-less normal 12-foot snake provided by local serpent handler Santiago (Selton Mello), gets chopped up by a boat propeller. The search for a replacement leads to the unwanted discovery of the slithering, darting monster that ends up pursuing Doug -- as well as the rest of the gang.

As the cast proceeds to bungle through the jungle, their antics may or may not be all right by you.

The film contains physical violence, much animal gore, drug use, brief scatological humor, a couple of profanities, at least one rough term and frequent crude language. The OSV News classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.- - -CAPSULE REVIEW"Anaconda" (Sony)The humor is hit-or-miss in this comedy about the complications that arise when a trio of friends (Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Thandiwe Newton) sets off for the Amazon to make an ultra-low-budget homage to the eponymous 1997 thriller, a cult classic to which they've long been devoted. After their main prop, a 12-foot snake provided by a local serpent handler (Selton Mello), meets a grisly accidental end, their search for a replacement leads to the unwanted discovery of a slithering, darting monster of outsized proportions who proceeds to chase them all through the jungle. Fans of Black's blustery persona may overlook the sometimes slipshod humor as well as the flimsiness of the only discernible moral worked into the script director Tom Gormican penned with Kevin Etten, namely, the importance of following youthful dreams in order to be true to yourself. Physical violence, much animal gore, drug use, brief scatological humor, a couple of profanities, at least one rough term, frequent crude language. The OSV News classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.- - -CLASSIFICATION"Anaconda" (Sony) -- OSV News classification, A-III -- adults. Motion Picture Association rating, PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.- - - Kurt Jensen is a guest reviewer for OSV News.