Old Dogs (I) (2009)

Two friends and business partners find their lives turned upside down when strange circumstances lead to them being placed in the care of 7-year-old twins.

Director:

Walt Becker

Writers:

David Diamond, David Weissman

Stars:

John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Charlie
Robin Williams	...	Dan
Kelly Preston	...	Vicki
Conner Rayburn	...	Zach
Ella Bleu Travolta	...	Emily
Lori Loughlin	...	Amanda
Seth Green	...	Craig
Bernie Mac	...	Jimmy Lunchbox
Matt Dillon	...	Barry
Ann-Margret	...	Martha
Rita Wilson	...	Jenna
Amy Sedaris	...	Condo Woman
Residente	...	Tattoo Artist
Sab Shimono	...	Yoshiro Nishamura (as Saburo Shimono)
Kevin Yamada	...	Riku (as Kevin W. Yamada)

Storyline

Charlie and Dan have been best friends and business partners for thirty years; their Manhattan public relations firm is on the verge of a huge business deal with a Japanese company. With two weeks to sew up the contract, Dan gets a surprise: a woman he married on a drunken impulse nearly nine years before (annulled the next day) shows up to tell him he's the father of her twins, now seven, and she'll be in jail for 14 days for a political protest. Dan volunteers to keep the tykes, although he's up tight and clueless. With Charlie's help is there any way they can be dad and uncle, meet the kids' expectations, and still land the account?

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Plot Keywords:

twin | best friend | political protest | jail | public relations | 

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Taglines:

Sit. Stay. Play Dad.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Ukrainian

Release Date:

25 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Papás a la fuerza

Filming Locations:

Arena at Harbor Yard - 600 Main Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£130,384 (UK) (19 March 2010)

Gross:

$49,474,048 (USA) (26 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Tapestry Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's release date was postponed three times. First, due to Bernie Mac's untimely death. The second time was for the death of John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son, Jett Travolta. The final time was because Robin Williams had a health scare that required surgery. All of the postponement ultimately caused the movie to be released more than a year after the original, intended release date, finally releasing on November 25, 2009.

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Goofs

At the campsite, while Scoutmaster Barry is speaking, Charlie and Dan are working. Charlie is on his laptop and Dan is working on his Blackberry. In one clip, he has an open portfolio (red file on left side, black file on the right side) on his lap and is looking at it while working on his Blackberry. The shot goes back to the scoutmaster, then back to Dan and the portfolio is gone. Once again it goes to Matt then back to Charlie and the portfolio is back. (at around 1 min)

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Quotes

Charlie: The kids have never seen Friday the 13th, part 1 or 2!
Vicki: Oh, my God!
Dan: He's kidding. He's a kidder. He was scared of The Wizard of Oz. He's kidding. The monkeys got him nuts.

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Connections

References Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Mare Nostrum"
Written by Pierre Langer
Performed by Dynamedion
Courtesy of Riptide Music, Inc.

User Reviews

A good dose of spray-on fun

This movie was funny, heartfelt and good. By far one of the better comedies I have seen come out of 2009.

The cast of "Old Dogs" is really good, as everyone have great on screen charisma, and everyone is a gifted actor, so that works well in a great way. I always like Robin Williams, but I must say that John Travolta did a really good job in this movie (and I am usually not a big fan of his work).

The movie is good for fun and laughter, whether you sit down to watch it alone, with your significant other, or with your whole family. There is something in this movie for everyone.

"Old Dogs" have a somewhat sassy story, sure, it was a Disney product after all, but it worked out well anyway. I was thoroughly amused throughout the entire movie, and I was laughing a lot as well. The majority of the movie revolves around comedy, but the drama aspect of the story worked well entwined with the comedy. It came together as a heartfelt wholesome.

I recommend this movie warmly for its good story and laughs, and I say this movie is the type that you will pick up again and watch at a later time.