Benji: Off the Leash! (2004)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Joe Camp

Writer (WGA):

Joe Camp (written by)

Release Date:

28 April 2005 (Thailand)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

Rules are made to be housebroken

Plot:

Three unlikely, unsuspecting souls who come face-to-face with that moment in their lives when they must stand and be counted...

Plot Keywords:

Benji | Dog | Leash | Dog Actor | Animal Actor

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Nick Whitaker	...	Colby Hatchett
Chris Kendrick	...	Mr. Hatchett
Nate Bynum	...	Ozzie
Randall Newsome	...	Livingston
Duane Stephens	...	Sheldon
Christy Summerhays	...	Claire
Carlton Bluford	...	Dudley (as Carleton Bluford)
Neal Barth	...	Zacharia Finch
Melinda Haynes	...	Miriam
Kathleen Camp	...	Nancy / Merlin / Newscaster No. 4
Jeff Olson	...	Paul
Lincoln Hoppe	...	Donnie Madison
Joey Miyashima	...	Vat
Scott Wilkinson	...	Movie Producer
Margaret Loesch	...	Newscaster No. 1

Also Known As:

Benji Returns: Rags to Riches (USA) (working title)
Benji Returns: The Promise of Christmas (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and some mild language.

Runtime:

USA:97 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ogden, Utah, USA

Company:

Benji Returns

Movie Connections:

Follows Benji the Hunted (1987)

Suitable for children (and makes you want to adopt a dog!)

We just returned from seeing this film, which opened today in our city. While it's by no means "great art" -- the plot and dialog are pretty basic -- the children around us were all laughing at the appropriate places and seemed involved in the story. When your movie-going experience is punctuated by people around you laughing or going "Awwww..." at the appropriate places, you have to assume they're enjoying themselves.

In an era when so much of what we see in films is created by computer, it was interesting to see the statement in the credits that there was NO computer-generated or animatronic stuff in this film and that all of the actions done by the animals were in reality done by the animals. I also think it's neat that the dogs in the film were actually adopted from animal shelters in different cities and were trained to be in this movie.

The film's humor is directed at younger children, especially the scenes involving the slapstick dog catchers, which older viewers might find a bit overdone. There are also some heavier aspects to the plot, but the children around us didn't seem to react to those so my assumption is that those parts just didn't resonate with the kids and that they were more involved with the cute dogs and what was happening with them.

I thought that the young man who played the lead character(or perhaps I should say, the lead HUMAN character!) did an especially nice job. Nick Whitaker's portrayal of Colby was one of the better acting roles of the film.

Bottom line: It's mainly a kids' movie, and it's a clean kids' movie (no off-color language or foul jokes). If it gets a bit sentimental at times, it makes up for it by showing just how expressive dogs can be, even without the power of speech. Oh -- and if you go, be sure to stay for the credits, which include scenes of the filming.