her family during the futile search for the lost tribe, urging them to masquerade as the Shelmikedmu in order to disappoint Ruth Allen. The ruse succeeds, and the accusation of fraud is abandoned. James, relieved of his worries, ends his fraud. Because Veronica has become sexually involved with him during her participation in his deceit, she assumes the role of a mother toward the children, though she is not explicitly said to marry James. Cast Richard Dreyfuss as Professor James Krippendorf Jenna Elfman as Professor Veronica Micelli Natasha Lyonne as Shelly Krippendorf Lily Tomlin as Professor Ruth Allen Barbara Williams as Professor Jennifer Harding Krippendorf Gregory Smith as Michael "Mickey" Krippendorf Carl Michael Lindner as Edmund Krippendorf Stephen Root as Gerald Adams Zakes Mokae as Sulukim Mila Kunis as Abbey Tournquist David Ogden Stiers as Henry Spivey Doris Belack as President Porter Frances Bay as Edith Proxmire Sandy Martin as Nurse Reception Box office Krippendorf's Tribe opened at #7 in its opening weekend with $3,316,377. By the end of its domestic run, the film grossed $7,571,115. Critical response The film received generally negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 18% based on reviews from 39 critics, with an average rating of 4.2/10. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of two out of four stars, writing: "Is it possible to recommend a whole comedy on the basis of one scene that made you laugh almost uncontrollably? I fear not. And yet Krippendorf's Tribe has such a scene, and many comedies have none." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film "revives all those old demeaning racist stereotypes in the most horrible ways," and that it "isn't remotely intelligent or sophisticated enough to make it as a pitch-dark comedy or satire", calling it "arguably the worst movie ever to come out of Disney". References External links 1998 films 1998 comedy films American comedy films Films based on British novels Films set in 1997 Films shot in California Films shot in Hawaii American mockumentary films Touchstone Pictures films Films scored by Bruce Broughton 1990s English-language films Films directed by Todd Holland 1990s American films