The Shaggy Dog

Well, I'm not going to write too much in-depth on this movie. It's not a movie to be analyzed. If you only want to see believable antics & possible outcomes? Stay home, make some tea, and SIT YOUR CRANKY BUTT DOWN FOR THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL. Boy, some of you must've been really miserable kids whenever cartoons were on TV. Do note that Pixar makes a few shameless references to their past projects. If you see it, you'll know what I mean.

This Shaggy Dog Movie: There are some potentially stressful scenes for young children. It involves what is implied to have happened to animals in captivation. Think of weapons that metro police might have to use on an uncontrollable person. Then again, Disney gave me Bambi and Old Yeller. We all know what happened to them. I may never get over that.

The script is typical Disney. I remember watching the original Shaggy Dog movie and loving it lots. I don't remember much about what the original, because I was so young. The part to keep in mind, when reading this is: "I remember loving it lots." Little kids beside me with their mum enjoyed it. A retired couple six rows ahead roared the loudest. I gave it a "7" because of the smiles it gave people around me. It was harmless & people knew what to expect.

For those that trash this movie because it isn't up to your high tech violent standards? I type this:

EVERYONE TURNS: 6... 7, AND 8 YEARS OLD IN THEIR LIFE.

You get the picture. Don't make fun of something you've outgrown.

I took my 12 year old grandson to see it and he was rolling on the floor for most of the film. I was surprised that it was actually funny,much more surprise than I was prepared for. This is a funny movie for those preteens and early teens as they seem to really enjoy it. Sure it is not full of high tech special effects and should never be compared to the Matrix, but it is a Disney! movie --- get it... a Disney movie. Take that into consideration ... how many Disney movies achieve high ratings anyway, other than the classics? This is a fun movie. I saw the original and it was funny too. Remember way back when everything was black and white and not color? The special effects in this movie are not very high tech and some of the metamorphosis takes place when you do not see it, so do not expect "the wolf-man" changes to be shown, nope, one shot he is a man, the next he is a dog. Some of the other critters are pretty funny too and kids seem to love this movie.

I'll admit right off the bat that I am a fan of Tim Allen. I never really watched his television show "Home Improvement" but really liked him in films like "Galaxy Quest", "Big Trouble", and "The Santa Clause". But when I saw the trailer for "The Shaggy Dog" I shook my head with disbelief. How could Tim Allen do such a stupid movie? I asked myself. But I figured I would give the film a shot because sometimes the marketing is very misleading and the actual film itself could be decent. So tonight, I ventured to my local cinema to catch the 8:00pm showing of "The Shaggy Dog".

"The Shaggy Dog" is about a man named Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) who works for a big law firm in Los Angeles. Dave is a man that is so caught up with his work that he doesn't even realize he is ignoring his wife Rebecca (Kristen Davis) and his two kids Carly (Zena Grey) and Josh (Spencer Breslin). Dave is currently working on the biggest case of his career which involves animal testing. If Dave wins this case, he will become the head D.A. at the firm. But when a dog from the testing facility escapes and comes to the Douglas house. This is where Dave's priorities begin to change as Dave turns into a dog and sees his family and himself from a totally new and unique perspective.

I'll be really honest with my review here and state that "The Shaggy Dog" isn't a great movie by any means. The story is silly and the film reminded me at times of the Rob Schneider film "The Animal" but is "The Shaggy Dog" as bad as the trailers lead you to believe? Not really. The movie had good intentions but was just poorly executed. The movie really is a feel good family flick but it isn't very original nor is it very believable.

What "The Shaggy Dog" does well is it delivers a good message which is "Be there for your family". What makes "The Shaggy Dog" fail is the fact that the film is so incredibly silly. I think the writers of this film tried so hard to make the film childish that it caused the film to be overly stupid at parts. The whole scene where Tim Allen chases the cat like a dog is really too much and wasn't necessary. I feel if the film took itself a little more seriously instead of trying to be constantly funny, the final product would have been much better.

But that's not saying that the film is a total disaster like I thought it would be when I walked into it earlier today. It was a decent family film and kids under 10 will probably adore it but parents will probably beg for it to become a little less goofy. The movie itself was a decent, silly film that could have been executed better but instead turned into a very average family film.

Tim Allen actually does a decent job here although as I mentioned before not as good as he could have done. This is probably my 2nd least favorite film of his, the first being "Jungle to Jungle" which was also made by Disney. His performance was just a little too over the top here and it seemed like he was trying too hard to be funny. The family members on the other hand did a good job. I liked the roles that Kristen Davis, Zena Grey, and Spencer Breslin played and I felt that they all did a pretty good job. Also Robert Downey Jr. wasn't bad either as the evil mastermind. Overall the cast was a lot better than the actual film.

Brian Robbins was the director of this film and I feel that this is where the problem with the film lies. A director has total control of the film and I think Brain Robbins still doesn't have a good director touch yet. Robbins has brought us several bad movies including "Good Burger", "Ready to Rumble" and the absolutely dreadful "The Perfect Score". So looking at his previous experience I can see why "The Shaggy Dog" wasn't an excellent movie. The problem here is that he isn't that good of a director and that's why this film wasn't exactly good. I would think that he would have caught on by now but he is still missing the bar on what it takes to direct a good movie.

In the end, I didn't hate "The Shaggy Dog" like I thought I would have. It's a passable family film that kids under the age of 10 will probably love. Being a fan of not only Tim Allen but family films in general, I was disappointed with the outcome of this movie. It had some redeeming elements to it but not enough to save the lame script and the poor directing. If the movie didn't try so hard to be funny, it probably could have been funnier. I wouldn't recommend this movie as a full price ticket at the local cinema but it's an OK matinée or DVD rental.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "The Shaggy Dog" is a 6/10. If you have young ones, take them because they will love it even if you feel it's a bit too much at times.

Went today to see this film. another remake but admittedly haven't seen the original. And I personally thought it was OK. Had three kids with me...14 yr old 8 yr old and 6yr old who all sat watching it, enjoying it and laughing away. Me too. Tim Allen was great as usual and def suits the comedy side of acting. Bit samey with the oldest child a teenage daughter who wears different clothes and wants to be rebellious...father works a lot and isn't the most committed father..mother who seems to do it all and has had enough and then the younger son who just seems to want to do his own thing but hasn't the nerve to say it. BUT apart from that the dog was great, Tim Allen and Robery Downey Jnr were great(nice to see Downey in something), some funny scenes with the actors and with the animals. Bit slow to start with but gets better. Def entertaining for kids and adults..if only Disney done more like this, seem to have dome some fantastic films years ago and then lost the plot a bit. Worth seeing

In this 21st century update of the 1959 Disney classic (and its 1976 sequel, "The Shaggy D.A."), Tim Allen is cast as Dave Douglas, a deputy district attorney who ends up being bitten by a mystical Tibetan canine who is supposedly hundreds of years old. Of course, he will then start transforming into a dog himself - at the worst possible times, naturally. He'll have to do some serious adjusting to these developments as he discovers some truths about the case he is currently trying, and deals with a nefarious geneticist (Robert Downey, Jr.).

Usually derided by adult viewers, who understandably are miffed by some mis-use of acting talent, "The Shaggy Dog" '06 is really not that bad. This viewer would be lying if he said that he didn't burst out laughing at some of the expected gags where Allen is committing to canine behaviour while still in human form. The transformations are almost entirely done off screen, with cuts made between Allen and his canine version.

Since this IS a Disney feature we're talking about, it should come as no surprise that it does get sentimental, and ultimately workaholic / absentee dad Dave will become a better man, and become closer to his children, through his off the wall experience.

Allen is definitely fun, and the supporting cast serves him well: Danny Glover, Philip Baker Hall, Kristin Davis, Spencer Breslin and Zena Grey as the kids. Jane Curtin is admittedly under utilized in a very straight role as the judge presiding over the trial. But this viewer will be honest, the main reason that "The Shaggy Dog" '06 hits him in a soft spot is because the dog in the movie is a bearded collie (or beardie). This may offend some purists, since the dog in the original movies was an Olde English Sheepdog, but I love beardies; our family had one for fourteen years and she was a wonderful pet. And Cole, the beardie utilized here, is adorable and obviously extremely well trained. Young viewers may take to some of the other endearing animal characters, as well.

While inevitably formulaic and predictable, this movie generates enough decent laughs to make it okay entertainment.

Six out of 10.