Oh Heavenly Dog

One of my favorite dog films of all time and it still is to this day. None of those Kidd dog films, come close to this classic. It begins with an American Private Detective(Chevy Chase) who is living in London, is murdered while on a case. When he gets to purgatory, he is told that in order for him to get into heaven, he must go back on earth to solve his own murder. But becomes surprised he has to go back in the body of a cute dog(Benji). He does not like it, but makes the best out the rough situation. He gets help from a beautiful writer(Jane Seymour) who is writing a book on the case. Chevy Chase and Benji are perfect. Chases voice over and Benjis reactions are funny to watch. A fun comedy mystery to enjoy for a lifetime.

A private detective is killed, then comes back to earth, as a dog, in order to solve his own murder. Yet, with the murder and all, it's not really a children's film despite starring Benji (and having the same director as the Benji movies). Apart from the fact he's now a dog, the rest is played curiously straight. Lots of time spent with Benji searching for clues and piecing it all together (Chevy Chase narrates his thoughts). So it's a comedy then? Not especially. There are comic moments, more silly than funny, but the scenes and pace are generally long and spacious. It's basically a rather pedestrian murder-mystery story that just happens to have a dog at the centre. So who is the movie aimed at? I don't really know. Too adult for most children, yet too childish for most adults. I guess Generation-X-ers like myself who like 80s nostalgia and are generally happy to watch Chevy Chase would enjoy it, but that's a small audience. Best thing about it is marvelling at the training, intelligence and capability of Benji the dog. The opening song is also quite cool in an off-beat yacht rock kind of way. Kind of guilty pleasure movie. I enjoyed it more than I probably should have.

I saw Oh, Heavenly Dog! At the movies when I was 14 years old in 1980 when it was a new theatrical release. I remember everyone of all different ages in the theater seemed to really like and enjoy it. I just bought the DVD for Christmas for my adult son and me to watch. We really enjoyed it, and will watch it again soon to watch the background scene activity. I enjoyed it even more almost 44 years later. It's charming and funny and Benji is adorable and Chevy Chase is likable and pairs well with the wonderful Jane Seymour. The story is actually not bad at all, and it should've been a way bigger box-office hit. Do NOT listen to snobby film critics-this gem of a film is a genuine winner. It's perfect to just chill out and eat popcorn. I wish more movies like this one were made today. I also enjoyed watching this movie for the nostalgia-It's practically a period piece now, with rotary telephones and non-high tech kitchen appliances, furniture, and late 70s-1980 wardrobe and fashions. Some of the jokes are corny, but SOooo much fun. Treat yourself and find this movie streaming or on DVD. It's definitely worth a watch. 8/10.

this movie was an absolute pile of gopher. when i say gopher, i mean that small brown burrowing creature from northern america, yes that thing. Possibly has higher IQ than Chevy Chase, who put in a dismal performance for this movie. In fact, the star of the film, Benji, did not need a vet, groomer, or trainer, while Chevy Chase needed all of these things, including a bowl of water, plate of biscuits and a deluxe sized "Kitty Litter" tray. Unfortunately, most of Chevy Chase's salary for this movie (about 12 million $Us) was spent on such items, an estimated Us$3.5 million was spent on "Kitty Litter" alone. Anyway, this movie was so incredibly horse that it should be banned in all countries over the world, except the USA, they made it, they can suffer with it.

This is one of the best things that Chevy was ever involved in. Although ninety five percent of his participation was only his voice, as he was killed off early in the movie, I thought that the movie was good, solid entertainment. Almost without exception, I've always seen the film badly panned by most critics and movie reviews, but I was really pleased to see that most folks who took the time to comment on IMDb were highly complimentary and reaffirmed that I was not wrong on this one. Maybe you just need to have a bit of imagination and a real love of animals, particularly dogs, to get all there is out of the movie. See it, enjoy it and then comment. Don't let poor reviewers keep you from the fun!