The season of extreme motion picture mediocrity continues. The new movie “Krippendorf’s Tribe” is a perfect example of merely OK filmmaking.

Richard Dreyfuss stars as anthropologist James Krippendorf, a single dad trying to raise three kids.

He has spent years living off a huge grant he received to study the lost tribe of New Guinea. Krippendorf has spent all the money on his family.

Rather than admit he’s done no study and that in fact there is no lost tribe of New Guinea, Krippendorf makes one up. He dresses his children up in native costumes and takes movies of rare circumcision rituals and the like.

The Shelmikedmu Tribe, named after Krippendorf’s children, is a huge hit. There are book deals, further research grants and talk show appearances.

A cable channel dedicated to anthropology pays huge money for exclusive rights to air a television special on the tribe.

(If such a cable channel existed, I’m sure TCI of Ames would carry it instead of Comedy Central, and we still couldn’t watch “South Park.”)

The rest of the movie tries to be a hilarious farce and falls short. One reason is “Krippendorf’s Tribe” can’t seem to decide what kind of movie it wants to be.

At first, in fact throughout the entire movie, it seems like a kids’ movie, aimed at the pre-teen set. Most of the humor is rather silly and childish, fine if that’s what you’re going for. Something along the lines of Disney live-action movies.

Even though the movie seems like a children’s movie, it is entirely inappropriate for kids. There are a lot of sexual overtones, the above circumcision ritual and jokes about “neolithic dildos.” (I certainly hope it’s all right to use a word like “neolithic” in a family newspaper.)

If “Krippendorf’s Tribe” could have decided to be a kid’s movie or an adult movie, it would have helped. Because as it stands, it’s something in between and doesn’t work as either.

Also, the movie is full of stock characters and situations. There’s the dead mother situation.

We never learn how she died. In fact, its hardly dealt with at all. She just has to be dead so Krippendorf can have a romantic interest elsewhere.

Everyone in the movie is strictly a stock character, merely a talking clich‚. For example, the bitter teen-aged daughter, and the youngest son who hasn’t spoken since his mom died.

Pop quiz — do you think maybe he’ll talk by the end of the movie in a quasi-touching scenario?

There’s also the evil coworker hell bent on discrediting Krippendorf. Lily Tomlin’s comedic talents are really squandered in that role.

Dreyfuss himself plays the typical single dad character, having difficulty connecting with his kids. He makes comments to the children like, “Make me proud today. Come home different.”

Dreyfuss is one of my favorite actors, and he does have some funny moments in this movie. Just not enough to save the project.

The real show stealer, though, is Jenna Elfman. You may know her costarring role in “Dharma and Greg.”

She is an absolute delight in this movie as Krippendorf’s assistant. Elfman is so lively and has a wonderful, bubbly screen presence.

Most of the jokes are of the bathroom humor variety. There are some funny penis sheath gags, I suppose, but overall “Krippendorf’s Tribe” should have remained lost.

2 1/2 stars out of five

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Mike Milik is a senior in advertising from West Des Moines.