Spot

Well I went in to this film with dog day expectations after being coerced into going, by a very insistent daughter. This tummy turning tostada of Alpo and pepto bismal was a misery to sit through.

I thought the best spoken dialouge was the monosyllabic tones emitted from the dog. I dont think any specific Movie Star could have uplifted this movie, Well maybe John Candy if he dressed up as the dog, but since Candy is no longer with us, that couldnt have happened. This movie will not be long for the screen either.

I actually thought the movie was pretty good. But first let me emphasize, that it really helps if you come to this film with no other preconceived notion other than that it is intended as a rather light, perhaps kid- or family-oriented sort of entertainment. It never set out to be a "Schindler's List" or a "Gone With the Wind". But it still delivers some quality goods.

I thought the film had some quality film-making behind it. The cinematography was just fine, the setting was beautiful (filmed in and around beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia - a city I've been lucky enough to visit more than once in my life), and the actors were all (to me, anyway) quite likable and enjoyable in their roles.

David Arquette, whom you wouldn't ordinarily consider a comic, in fact does surprisingly well with the physical and often-times slapstick humor in the film. Michael Clark Duncan is really the sympathetic character here, playing a HUGE (and highly muscular) FBI agent who has an almost over-the-top attachment to the dog. The kid, played by Angus T. Jones, is really quite adorable, in fact I was surprised at how winning a personality he has (I don't always like child actors, sometimes they can be horrendous brats, but this kid was truly exceptional). The kid's mom, Stephanie, played by Leslie Bibb, was also quite charming (and always good to look at, even when she was covered in mud). Anthony Anderson, whom many of you may remember as Jamaal Baileygates (one of Jim Carrey's sons in "Me, Myself and Irene") was extremely likable, and I was glad to see him in a role where he was not required to resort to vulgar language like he did in "Me, Myself and Irene".

Other roles in the film were also very well played. And last but not least, let's not forget the dog himself, who was at least as compelling as any or all of the other members of the cast. How they trained the dog to do some of those stunts that he did is way beyond me!

This movie will probably best be enjoyed by families with young kids, and also by dog-lovers, as this film definitely made man's best friend look really, really good (in spite of the fact that they had about a whole five minute sequence devoted to the hilarious consequences of someone stepping in dog-doo at precisely the wrong time...).

So if you want a thoroughly enjoyable light comedy with a dog theme, go rent it: you won't be barking up the wrong tree, I guarantee it.

This was a very pleasant surprise; a very good comedy filled with a lot of laughs and - more surprise - not much raunch and profanity. Wow, that's unusual for today. Some people say this was strictly made for kids. Well, I am hardly a kid and I loved it.

All the characters in here are just that: characters from goofy David Arquette's "Gordon"- to the cute kid, Angus T. Jones ("James" - to big Michael Clarke Duncan ("Murdoch") - to pretty Leslie Bibb ("Stephanie") - to Joe Viterelli ("Gino") - to Anthony Anderson ("Bennie") - to Paul Sorvino ("Sonny Talia"). Yeah, the last guy is the only one with a last name. I especially liked Viterelli and Duncan.

The film gets too silly in one spot - at the store, where the slapstick goes on way too long, but otherwise this is a funny movie. As the cliché goes, fun for all ages, but let me add.....not just the kids.

"Apparently a lot of people like to watch little kid's movies and then complain because they aren't cinematic masterpieces. How ridiculous. This is a film that was made to entertain young kids,"

I couldn't agree more with one of the previous commenters that I quoted above. It is not the first time I've read reviews putting down a film because it is not Masterpiece Theatre (or Sesame Street). My little one had fun watching this. Sometimes that is all that matters.

It like teletubbies. Adults (most anyway) just don't get it, except for the producers of it. I can't tell you how excited my little girl was (at age 2) the first time she saw the teletubbies. She couldn't stop singing "teletubbie bye bye" in her broken English for hours that night.

I like films about dogs that are smarter than people, mainly because the way the world is going, it seems to be true!

Having said that, this is - and always was going to be - a feel good movie. Even the baddies are suitably laughable that you can like them. And of course, the dogs are all great. Especially the mad terrier that attaches itself to peoples backs and wont let go.

Only disappointment was that the FBI agent was obviously very attached to his dog and after emphasizing that so much, the dog's choice was too clean and too child-oriented. The dog should have dithered a lot more.

The night-experience with doggy-doos was wonderful.