Les nouvelles aventures de Lassie

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.

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.

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*

As for the single "In My Life", I purchased all of the Beatles on 45 rpm and large record size singles in the 60s, I have it on both formats. So it is not a goof! There are songs and records issued in different formats for regional, different countries and specialized markets that are never released for most of the USA. The music is good, photography is excellent and rich is color, story extremely possible, locations were outstanding. Production gave a feeling that you were right there is the location and experiencing everything as it happened. My four year-old loved along with the rest of the family. It kept everybody attention. Overall an excellent family movie.

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.