Lassie

This movie was one of my favorites when I was younger. I am now 21 years old and I still love it and watch it whenever it comes on cable. The original concept of Lassie never really appealed to me, I guess because it was slightly before my time. However, I thought this movie brought the spirit of the original Lassie to kids who never got to experience Lassie when it was at it's best.

The main actor Thomas Guiry, who played the troubled Matt Turner, truly carried this film. He was also quite fortunate to be surrounded by other great actors such as Michelle Williams and Charlie Hofheimer.

I really loved this story because it expressed the true values of family and unconditional love. I recommend this film to families, children, and adults alike. I still love this movie and probably always will. I give it a 9 out of 10.

This movie was fun. I like Dogs, and I think this movie lived up to my expectations about what a Lassie movie should be. I watched it with my 8 year old sister who was very entertained by the whole thing. It's true, the plot is quite simple, and the sheep farming wasn't totally accurate, but overall, this movie which focuses on some young kids and of course, Lassie, is good for a night at home in your jammies. My parents were very happy when we picked this off the shelf at the video store. While my sister and I were very happy that Lassie was so beautiful, and that we had fun watching this movie together.

Yes, I'm a sap, but there were a couple of places where this movie really tugged at my heartstrings. There were some almost inevitable Lassie-type scenes, but it was fun getting to see Lassie act like a Collie for once.

One thing that I noticed missing from the credits was Robert Weatherwax's name. Without Robert Weatherwax's training, the amazing things that this Lassie does would not be possible. As a dog trainer myself, I recognize the difficulty that accompanies training dogs to do even simple behaviors, so I think that he should be acknowledged.

One thing that made me laugh, though, was the kid's comment about getting another kind of dog for sheep dog: a (German) Shepherd or EVEN A LAB. (Caps mine, from horrified amazement) If a Labrador retriever can herd, the canine star of this movie can give birth to puppies. I'm sure that the problem was that the writer didn't want to say "border COLLIE or Bearded COLLIE or Australian SHEPHERD, but why not "Corgi," or "Sheltie," or "Tervuren?" There's an entire Herding/Pastoral group out there, people! A Lab . . . *rolls eyes*

This film will doubtless entertain young and old. The plot, while very predictable is full of love and endearing moments. The cast is very good at what they were hired to do...deliver a movie about a dog that will save the day and look good while doing it. The film is great and will always leave you with a smile...after all Lassie does save the day. A film that can be enjoyed by the entire family over and over again.

I really don't understand some of the negative reviews. What do people expect when they pick up a Lassie video? Yes, this one is admittedly formulaic: crisis looms - Lassie saves the day (repeatedly - it's like four or five of the TV episodes compressed into one movie. Maybe some people feel it's too simplistic, or that there's too much shaggy-haired heroism for one movie. But it's Lassie, for crying out loud! My four-year-old daughter loves it, as do her eight- and eleven-year-old cousins (a boy and a girl, respectively). Older kids would probably find it too schmaltzy, but for the younger ones (and for me, who can remember watching the TV series when I was a kid, and for my wife who's a sucker for schmaltz), it's great.