The Dog Who Saved the Holidays (2012) (TV)

Director:

Michael Feifer

Writers:

Jeffrey Schenck (story)
Peter Sullivan (story)
(more)

Release Date:

4 December 2012 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Dog | Six Word Title

Cast

John K. Anderson	...	Richie (as John Kermit Anderson)
Anna Barnholtz	...	Kelly
Barry Barnholtz	...	Cousin Randy
Dean Cain	...	Ted Stein
Caitlin Carmichael	...	Kara Bannister
Caia Coley	...	Sarah Sattler
Skoti Collins	...	Officer Hamilton (as Gary Skoti Collins)
Joey Diaz	...	Stewey (as Joey 'Coco' Diaz)
Elisa Donovan	...	Belinda Bannister
Shirell Ferguson-Coleman	...	Celeste
Bas Finch	...	Matt
Jackson Finch	...	Kevin
Jet Griefer	...	Johnny
Wyatt Griswold	...	Ben Bannister
Michael Gross	...	Ned
Jim Harris	...	Young Goat (voice)
Michael Healey	...	911 Operator / English Goat / Horse (voice)
David Hill	...	Officer Harris
Joseph Lawrence	...	Zeus (voice) (as Joey Lawrence)
Peyton List	...	Eve (voice)
Shelley Long	...	Aunt Barbara / Airport Cat (voice)
Ella Mazer	...	Tammy
Jonah Mazer	...	Adam
Kali Muscle	...	Mikey
Jack Scalia	...	Tony Rowe
Aidan Schenck	...	Dylan
Jeffrey Schenck	...	Cousin Jamie
Owen Schenck	...	Jeremy
Ryan Schenck	...	Tommy
Joely Tenebaum	...	Anna
Leo Tenebaum	...	Andrew
Gary Valentine	...	George Bannister
Mindy Sterling	...	Grandma (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Feifer

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Ciminera		screenplay
Michael Ciminera		story
Richard Gnolfo		story and screenplay
Jeffrey Schenck		story
Peter Sullivan		story

Produced by
Barry Barnholtz	....	executive producer
Michael Ciminera	....	associate producer
Bonnie Comley	....	executive producer
Michael Feifer	....	producer
Jerry Fruchtman	....	executive producer
Peter Fruchtman	....	executive producer
Richard Gnolfo	....	associate producer
Diane Healey	....	associate producer
Zelma Kiwi	....	executive producer
Stewart Lane	....	executive producer
Shelley Long	....	co-producer
Jeffrey Schenck	....	executive producer
Peter Sullivan	....	co-producer
Corbin Timbrook	....	line producer
Alex Washer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Andres Boulton
Chad Rehmann

Cinematography by
Roberto Schein

Film Editing by
Ely Mennin

Casting by
Dean E. Fronk
Donald Paul Pemrick

Production Design by
Rachel Ferrari

Art Direction by
Rachel Panas

Costume Design by
Brianna Murphy

Makeup Department
Jacqueline Knowlton	....	additional makeup artist
Erin LeBre	....	makeup department head
Michele Monaco	....	additional makeup artist
Stephanie Navarro	....	additional makeup artist
Angela Peterson	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Shelby Janes	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karl Hertz	....	second assistant director
Justin Hopper	....	first assistant director
Dean Rickard	....	second second assistant director
Corbin Timbrook	....	second unit director

Art Department
Richard Calderon	....	decorator: Christmas lights

Sound Department
Jithu Aravamudhan	....	sound effects editor
Andres Boulton	....	sound designer
Jonathan Morgan	....	foley editor
Nicole C. Scott	....	post production audio: coordinator
Eric Wojahn	....	adr mixer
Chase Yeremian	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Paolo Arriola	....	gaffer
Jake Bianco	....	best boy electric: day player
Mitchell Brown	....	best boy electric: day player
Caleb Bucy	....	best boy grip
Zak Ettlinger	....	gaffer: day player
Jacob Fleming	....	best boy grip: day player
Kelly Herrin	....	jib operator
Kelly Herrin	....	key grip
Kelly Herrin	....	lighting services
Maxwell Joslyn	....	best boy electric: day player
Ivan Marcinko	....	helicopter pilot: aerial camera helicopter
Jonas Marcinko	....	helicopter pilot: aerial camera helicopter
Jon Mayfield	....	steadicam & camera operator
Alex Merkle	....	best boy electric: day player
Blaine Munro	....	best boy electric: day player
Christian Shaw	....	first assistant camera
Christian Shaw	....	second unit: camera operator
Andy Sladek	....	second assistant camera
Drew Valenti	....	best boy electric
Jim Winston	....	cameras provided by

Casting Department
Madison Chioles	....	casting assistant
Helene Kaye	....	background casting
Stan Landsman	....	background casting
Rene Moran	....	casting assistant

Editorial Department
Eric Church	....	project manager
Taylor D. Conroy	....	on-line editor
Allen Kelly	....	color timer
Sean Olson	....	trailer editor

Transportation Department
Martin Perez	....	transportation captain
Sandra Perrichon	....	production vehicles

Other crew
Linda Andersson	....	chef
Erika Canchola	....	production attorney
Vera Kapriellian	....	location rep
John La	....	payroll services
Tammy Maples	....	dog trainer
Polina Pavlovsky Herrera	....	executive assistant
Todd Pliss	....	studio teacher
Elsa Ramo	....	distribution counsel
Daniel Rbibo	....	insurance (as Daniel R'Bibo)
Jim Rodriguez	....	dog trainer
Tara Sattler	....	production attorney

Production Companies

• ARO Entertainment

Distributors

• Starz Home Entertainment (2012) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• DRO Entertainment  special thanks
• Ramo Law PC  production legal services (as Law Offices of Elsa Ramo)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild rude humor and some language

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

ARO Entertainment

Good, but not great, holiday fun

In snowy Connecticut, former police dog Zeus is so happy that his family is going to Malibu, California for Christmas. He lives with George and Belinda Bannister, who have been married 20 years as of Dec. 26 and have two children and one on the way. Zeus can talk, at least to other animals and the audience. Belinda's mother, who wishes Belinda would come be with her for the holidays, can't understand him. Maybe it's just as well. You wouldn't want to use the phone after he answered it.

George's brother Barbara has been married several times. Now she is a widow whose husband has left her a fabulous house. She competes with a cranky neighbor Ned to see who can put up the best Christmas decorations.

Ted and Stewey have a dog grooming service which is not doing too well. And they are in debt to loan shark Tony Rowe, who insists on being paid by Christmas Eve OR ELSE. If they can't come up with the money, he will accept the very valuable star rumored to be on top of Barbara's Christmas tree.

Dumb and Dumber, as Rowe calls them, set up a listening device which appears to work very well, as it can hear what is going on in several different rooms. They stake out the place as the family celebrates.

This film is apparently a sequel, as the guys have met Zeus and the Bannisters before and can't believe they've encountered them again this far away.

The first gift to be opened is a puppy named Mimi, a yellow lab like Zeus. Zeus is reluctant to accept competition, as he has always been George's best friend. But everyone just loves Mimi (who can also talk, at least to other animals and the viewers). And while Zeus covers for Mimi's bad behavior, Mimi also gets credit for something good Zeus actually did. And then Mimi does something so terrible--for which Zeus gets blamed--that Zeus gets banished to a fenced-in area. There, he meets other animals who can communicate with him.

Meanwhile, Belinda believes George has forgotten their anniversary, and she has reason to believe he is cheating. At the very least, he doesn't make an effort to be romantic, and if he doesn't know what to do on his own, she's not going to tell him.

What happens next is kind of a low-budget "Home Alone"--very little excitement compared to that masterpiece of slapstick, but still a few laughs.

This is not exactly a Christmas classic. Two actors do stand out. Elisa Donovan, who looks too pretty to be celebrating 20 years of marriage, really rises above the material she is given. And Joey Diaz as "Dumber" actually comes across as pretty smart, and does a better job as a bumbling villain than partner Dean Cain. Jack Scalia does a good job too as the evil loan shark. I just wish Cain had been a good guy because for the most part, he just doesn't have the ability to play a villain. That's not to say he doesn't have some good scenes. Gary Valentine as George does reasonably well. And the actors doing animal voices other than the dogs are pretty good. As for the dogs, their voice actors are not that special.

The dogs seem really intelligent. I'm referring to the canine actors, of course. The characters are geniuses.

It's a family film, but not squeaky clean. It does have some bathroom humor and, while not explicit, does have some adult discussions about relationships between married people. Kids might get bored with George and Belinda's problems. Plus there are threatening situations for the dogs, but nothing too serious--I mean, look who we're dealing with. Still, it has to be geared toward kids because let's face it: most of the dialogue is apparently intended just for them.

This movie should get credit for one thing: acknowledging the true meaning of Christmas. The kids don't want to go to church on Christmas Eve, but Belinda insists and George goes along.

There seems to be an epidemic of movies where Elisa Donovan has a dog and doesn't want to spend Christmas with her mother, in which Michael Gross plays a Scrooge. Keep in mind, though, how Scrooge turned out.

It's probably worth seeing. If you like the formula of heroic pets and bumbling villains.