By Geno McGahee
In 1959, THE SHAGGY DOG was released. I never saw it, but apparently it demanded a remake with terrible CGI throughout. At this time, other family movies like CARS and HAPPY FEET were doing well and kids love dogs. So, this remake must have made sense at the time, and Disney attempted to stack the deck by using a great cast (with the exception of a few) to make this film popular. Unfortunately, the movie is terrible, but the cast made the most of it and did what they could to save it.
Tim Allen plays Dave Douglas, a prosecutor that has lost touch with his family. He is trying a defendant that is accused of setting fire to a lab that conducts tests on animals. Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey JR) runs the lab and this is two years before Downey JR made his big star return as IRON MAN. He makes the best of it as the pretentious jerk and treats everyone with disgust for the most part. His portrayal of the character was amusing.
As much as I hated HOME IMPROVEMENT, Allen has found his way in family comedies and is legitimately funny. He is actually very good in this film, but once again, he has very little to work with.
The story of the film is that there is this sheep dog that has lived 300 years and Kozak kidnaps it and wants to find the fountain of youth through DNA. Kozak meshes DNA and creates frogs with dog heads, snakes with dog tails and many other things. The CGI is TERRIBLE in this. A powerhouse like Disney, I would expect better than this. When they kidnap the dog, it escapes and bites Dave, which makes him turn from human to dog with regularity and back again. Now, as the dog, Dave sees what is really going on with his family and learns how to connect again. Yes, it’s terrible.
One character that needs mentioning is Josh, played by Spencer Breslin. I don’t know how Breslin gets work. He’s wretched and annoying in every role he was in. He was the monotone brother in DR. SEUSS THE CAT IN THE HAT and he brings that same great delivery here. I am guessing that he is related to somebody at Disney. I would bet a shaggy dog on it. There is no other explanation as to why he should be in any film. So, on top of a terrible screenplay and story, poor Allen has to try to act alongside Breslin. Allen deserved better than this.
The entertainment of this film is due to the work of Allen and Downey JR. Allen is hilarious at times as he acts out like a dog. At one time, he chases a dog off of his property and then chases a cat, knocking down an elderly woman in the process. I wish he had better material. Downey JR proved he can do any genre by making something out of nothing here and being very amusing. He is especially funny when he becomes part dog in the courtroom scene. If this film did not have these actors, it would have been unwatchable.
THE SHAGGY DOG is terrible. I really can’t recommend it, but the cast is decent and they try hard to make it good. The CGI is so bad and distracting but if you are a fan of Downey JR or Tim Allen, you may enjoy what they bring to this table.
Rating: 4/10
