Scott Wagner is up for a promotion at the TV station where he works. He tells his family he got it, though that's not quite true. The reason is that the obnoxious family dog Benny got to his pager, which he needed in order to get to an appointment.
Scott's 12-year-old son Dylan works at an animal talent agency. He learns about his father's secret and blackmails his dad. Dylan's boss Phil sees Benny one day and realizes the dog would be perfect for an ad with basketball star Cedric Ceballos. (Another ad in the series stars gymnast Dominique Moceanu, who does quite well in her routine.)
Dylan's adorable younger sister Sophie is a big fan of the movie 'Rumpus', a phenomenally successful film about a misbehaving pooch. A sequel is planned, but Harvey Poolish wants to get as much money as possible for his dog after the first film did so well.
Meanwhile, Scott's wife Jenna has no clue what's going on. She seems pretty intelligent. She has a career. How is this possible?
It seems obvious what is going to happen, but don't call this movie predictable just yet. Actually, some plot twists in the second half didn't work for me, though the action was exciting.
I liked the physical comedy. Matt Frewer was pretty good at falling down and making silly faces, as well as delivering funny lines. But the standout actor had to be Trevor Morgan as Dylan. Also quite good was Brian Markinson as the eccentric Harvey. And the two celebrities who played themselves were pretty good, poking fun at a bad idea only the person in charge thought was good.
Some comic highlights:
-Scott trying various methods, some quite bizarre, to get back his answering machine tape after Benny supposedly ate it.
-Scott and Dylan's big escape after their cover was almost blown.
-Harvey counting the earnings and expenses of 'Rumpus' on an abacus (though immediately after that movie producer Tom Cheehak yelled at him, which didn't seem necessary; Tom's yelling in various places didn't add much to the film).
-A woman brings a large pig with an unusual ability to the talent agency. She is followed immediately by Lauren Gibb (great but very, very brief performance by Gabrielle Miller), whose animal is invisible.
-Sophie's tantrum when the family can't get into a movie studio (Britt McKillip's best scene in a pretty good performance).
This was a pretty good effort.
