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The Shaggy Dog is a Walt Disney Pictures release.
Wide theatrical release: March 10.
Directed by Brian Robbins.
Screenplay by Cormac Wibberley, Marrianne Wibberly, Geoff Rodkey, Jack Amiel,
Michael Begler.
Starring: Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin
Running time: 98 minutes.
Rated PG for some mild rude humor.
Lisa's Rating: 5 out of 10.
You know it's been a sad trip to the movies when you leave the theatre asking yourself "whose fault was that?" The Shaggy Dog had me muttering the question all the way home.
I never automatically blame a film's problems on the fact that it's a remake. Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis happens to be one of my favorite Disney live action films, as is the remake of The Parent Trap (also with La Lohan.) This new version is very loosely based on the 1959 and 1976 versions of the Shaggy Dog franchise.
Deputy D.A. Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) takes on a case involving a powerful and corrupt drug company. The workaholic Douglas never has time for his wife (Kristen Davis) or his kids (Spencer Breslin and Zena Grey) and is generally a cold heartless lawyer-type. When Douglas is bit by a sheepdog escaped from the drug lab, he becomes infected with genetically mutated serum and the fun begins. Whenever Douglas' heart rate rises, he turns into a dog, and the rest of the time he merely acts like one. Will Douglas discover a cure for his doggy proclivities and save his marriage? Will the evil, animal-testing drug lab get its just desserts? Will parents be able stand watching the entire film to find out?
I don't think that I can blame the film's problems on Tim Allen. Allen is at his best with physical comedy, and he works hard at being a man being a dog. Most of the laughs in the theatre came from Allen acting like a dog, not from the actual dog with the Allen voiceover, which were painfully unfunny. The other supporting actors and there are a galaxy of stars with small roles do their best to elicit laughs, though they aren't given much to work with. Robert Downey, Jr. has good potential as a Disney villain; scary, but not too scary.
I think the blame can rest comfortably on the storyline. The storyline is over the heads of most young children, who should be the target audience. Heavy topics like animal research, district attorneys, arson and genetic mutation are introduced within the first few minutes. The whole first section of the movie deals with Douglas' family and work problem, with nary a dog in sight which made a lot of the younger kids in the audience restless. Once the story went to the dogs (you knew I had to use that phrase at least once in this review), the adults in the audience were left checking their watches. The film never made it to the happy state of playing to both the parents and children that other successful family movies have.
Then there's the question of chemistry. Film family chemistry is something you can't quite put your finger on, but successful family movies have it in spades. In The Parent Trap, you really care what happens to the girls; I always get a lump in my throat when I see them reunited with the parent they've never met. I'm still convinced that the Banks family in Mary Poppins is a real family. Even in the more recent Sky High I felt that the Commander and Jet Stream really loved their son; the dynamics were not only humorous but heartwarming. I didn't feel a lot of love or connection in the Douglas family; therefore I didn't really care how the film was resolved.
To be fair, I am a lot more critical of The Shaggy Dog than my children were. My nine-year-old chortled during all of Allen's doggy scenes, and caught the obvious Toy Story reference at the end of the movie by letting out a cheer. She confided that "the beginning of the story was boring, but I liked it when he turned into a dog." My older daughter said it was "pretty good," which is high praise for an eleven-year-old. I was pretty much alone in my dislike of The Shaggy Dog. I guess my hopes were up too high; it's harder than it looks to make a film that appeals to adults as much as to children.
*A note about the PG rating*
The film is rated PG for some rude humor (mostly centering around the particular
area on human anatomy where dogs enjoy sniffing) and a few tense moments with
a hypodermic needle no injections were directly shown.
 
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