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

Was originally supposed to be released theatrically in non-Quebec French-language markets as "Papy-Sitter" a wordplay with the French word "papy" meaning "grandpa". When Walt Disney Pictures decide to release the film straight-to-home-video in these markets due to the film's US financial failure, they instead went with the Quebec title "Les 2 Font La Père" which is a also a wordplay based on the French expression "les 2 font la paire", somewhat equivalent to "two of a kind" and the word "père" which means "father".

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Goofs

When Vicki is talking to Dan in Grand Central Station the same commuter walks by behind her twice in the same direction.

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Quotes

Charlie: You crying, man?
Jimmy Lunchbox: [holding back tears] I ain't cryin'!

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Connections

References Chariots of Fire (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Grazie, Prego, Scusi"
Written by Miky Del Prete (as Michele Del Prete), Giuseppe Previde Massara, and Mogol (as Giulio Rapetti Mogol)
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

If you liked this movie, you are the part of the reason why Western Civilization is doomed

This is the movie that has me rethinking the policy of the Cultural Lifetime Pass. If you made a record or a painting or a movie that helped lift up the standards of culture and made the world a better place, even for a brief moment, then I think you should get a pass if you're forced to make dreck to put food on the table.

I was ready to give Robin Williams his pass for "Reality...What a Concept," "Moscow on the Hudson" and "Insomnia." John Travolta had a potential pass for "Pulp Fiction" and "Get Shorty." Seth Green gave us "Robot Chicken." Matt Dillon, Bernie Mac, Amy Sedaris, Ann-Margaret, for God's sake....

Ladies and gentlemen, no longer. I hereby revoke your passes.

This movie was a pile of trite, clichéd garbage. You could have slotted any other actors into these roles, and you would have gotten the same result: a lot of mugging, a lot of canned reactions, and a lot of tired nutshot jokes. This was such bland pablum that I should have walked out, but I was dragged to this flick with family.

So, was the paycheck worth it? Probably, seeing how so many people gave it a 10 rating and are mocking the critics who rightly called out this turd for what it is. More and more people will pay good money to see Seth Green get cuddled by a gorilla or watch Williams and Travolta go through the same list of gay panic jokes (with a little racism thrown in for extra flavor) that was excreted on screen for "Wild Hogs." Keep polishing that turd, folks; it won't change what it is.

Don't force the ones you love to see this movie. Stay home. Read a book. Play a board game. Do anything but see this waste of time. Please, for the sake of the children, I beg you: do the merciful thing and put down "Old Dogs."