Owd Bob

Here is a powerful and moving tale of strained familiar relationships set amid the picturesque hedgerows on the Isle of Man. James Cromwell (`Babe') stars as Adam McAdam, an embittered widower whose blame-laying has become a way of life and the fuel that stokes his feud with neighboring sheep farmer Keith Moore (Colm Meaney). Along comes McAdam's orphaned American grandson (Dylan Provencher), who strikes up a relationship with Moore's daughter (Jemima Rooper) and becomes a voice of reason when both men's championship dogs are suspected in a series of sheep killings.

Cromwell is excellent as the stern, tight-lipped McAdam, an almost menacing departure from the farmer we all loved in `Babe.' Beautifully photographed and scored with wonderful Irish rhythms, `Owd Bob' is strong stuff that tugs at the heartstrings and should appeal to film lovers worldwide. By the by, the odd title (a remake of Robert Stevenson's 1938 film) is the name of one of the dogs.

When I saw this at the video shop I expected another Lassie clone and was prepared to quickly disappear after the start and go read a book. However, once the video started we never stopped. What unfolded was a strikingly true-to-life story about young people having to deal with loss and old people having to come to grips with what is really important.

Set in the same beautiful countryside as Waking Ned Devine (only this time the Isle of Man plays itself) this is the story of the America-raised grandson (David) of a crusty old sheep farmer (Babe's James Cromwell) being sent to the Isle of Man after the death of his parents in an accident. (shades of Fly Away Home) However, unlike the fantasy of a young girl learning to fly an ultralight, we just have a young boy learning to work on a farm. He finds himself, though, in the middle of an old conflict between his grandfather and the other townsfolk, in particular the family of his ex-landlord who's daughter becomes David's friend much to his grandfather's dismay.

The sheepdog trials which formed the center of Babe and which turned them into a bit of a farce, are shown in a much more realistic and enjoyable light where you truly come to appreciate the skill of the dogs, and the close relationship they have with their masters.

These Canada-UK co-productions rarely get their fare share of attention in the States which is too bad considering the quality compared to the flood of children's drek coming out of Hollywood. Do you family a favour, ignore the liner notes (which on our copy from the video shop were *completely* wrong) and get rent this video today!

This is an excellent family film which sadly enough has not been rated with the same publicity as films out of the US, i.e. HOME ALONE. Personally, I feel that in the making of OWD BOB, the realistic story line which one can relate to plus the magnificent views should be able to hit our cinemas and deserve some credibility.

The content of this film can be compared to BABE but at the end of the day, OWD BOB shows life in reality but is also pleasing to watch and our children should be able to enjoy a film without having to be constantly entertained with the extremes, i.e SPACE JAM. I personally really enjoyed SPACE JAM but the contents are of course unreal.

I happened to watch OWD BOB which was shown on our TV this evening, only because of the write-up describing it being based in the Isle of Man. Having lived for a number of years in the U.K. this therefore 'took my eye'. What pleasure it was and definitely worth recommending as a good Friday evening family film with your hot chocolate and biccies.

I`ve seen the movie on ppv and there I only watched because of James Cromwell and Colm Meany (I'm a Trekker!). But then I began to forget about their roles in DS9. This movie takes you into the story like no other film! If you like films like this or not, watch it!

I happened to watch OWD BOB on TV last night and I was very glad to find out that it's an English movie after I was convinced that the girl Maggie has very English accent( London accent actually). I had lived in England for three years and it's a shame that I didn't visit Isle of Man. The scene in the movie was beautiful and peaceful. It reminds me of Isle of Skye which I visited this summer. The movie was about quiet countryside life but it didn't bore me. James Cromwell was brilliant as an old withdrawn farmer. I thought the character was in his sixties, but I found out on internet that he's only 57 when the film was made.

I don't think the movie has shown much about the dog Owd BOB. It's more about the relationship between the grandfather and grandson, and people's feeling about each other. The movie doesn't have much dialogue, but we could feel what they were thinking. The movie has some little mistakes, but generally it's a good touching film that make me think.

I wish that I would go back to UK and visit the island one day.