One wise choice was expanding the role of Hector P. Valenti, exuberantly played by Javier Bardem. We first see Hector as an aspiring performer and magician who cannot get a job. When he’s told that his act needs something new, something more than tricks with pigeons and playing cards, he notices Eddie’s Exotic Animals shop across the street. In a back room there is a tiny baby crocodile. And he sings. (Another wise choice by this movie: Shawn Mendes provides the croc’s sweet, supple tenor.) Hector names his new friend Lyle and they have a wonderful time singing together. Hector puts everything he has into a grand performance with Lyle. But Lyle, who has never sung in front of an audience, gets stage fright. It is a disaster. Hector goes on the road to make some money and leaves Lyle in the attic, promising he will be back.
Eighteen months later, a new family who moves into the house on 88th Street: the Primms, math teacher dad (Scott McNairy), cookbook author mom (Constance Wu), and worried son Josh (Winslow Fegley), who is anxious about the crime rate in New York, his new school, and pretty much everything else. The basement apartment is occupied by the ominously named and very fussy Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman) and his cat Loretta. “She is not a cat,” he explains. “She is a silver-shaded Persian with an extremely delicate constitution.” Grumps warns the Primms that he has lawyers on hand in case they violate any of the neighborhood rules, including “noise abatement” restrictions.
Josh is the first to discover Lyle. He quickly gets over his panic at finding a nine-foot reptile with scary teeth in his attic when he sees how friendly Lyle is and how sweetly he sings. It’s a charming reverse of the idea of music soothing a savage; instead, we see one human after another relaxed and cheered by the singing of a species usually thought of as a terrifying alpha predator. Soon, Lyle and Josh are exploring the neighborhood at night, dumpster-diving for gourmet meals. Lyle’s encounters with Josh’s parents follow the same pattern. They are scared, then they are friends, then they learn confidence and courage.