Good Boy! movie review, John Hoffman, Liam Aiken, Kevin Nealon, Molly Shannon, Matthew Broderick, Brittany Murphy. Review by Rob Blackwelder ©SPLICEDwire

'GOOD BOY!' GOES TO THE DOGS
A scene from 'Good Boy!'
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"GOOD BOY!"
** stars
83 minutes | Rated: PG
WIDE: Friday, October 10, 2003
Directed by John Hoffman

Starring Liam Aiken, Matthew Broderick (voice), Kevin Nealon, Molly Shannon, Brittany Murphy (voice), Carl Reiner (voice), Delta Burke (voice), Donald Faison (voice), Cheech Marin (voice), Vanessa Redgrave (voice)



 COUCH CRITIQUE
   SMALL SCREEN SHRINKAGE: 10%
   WIDESCREEN: NOT NECESSARY

Passable Saturday afternoon babysitter rental for the kiddies.

   VIDEO RELEASE: 03.02.2003



 OTHER REVIEWS/COMING SOON
 
  • Talking animals
  • Liam Aiken
  • Matthew Broderick
  • Kevin Nealon
  • Molly Shannon
  • Brittany Murphy
  • Carl Reiner


  •  LINKS for this film
    Official site
    at movies.yahoo.com
    at Rotten Tomatoes
    at Internet Movie Database
    Watch the trailer (apple.com)
    Canine-from-space kiddie flick starts fresh but succumbs to Hollywood obedience-school conditioning

    By Rob Blackwelder

    As talking-dog movies go, "Good Boy!" could have been worse. The story of a outcast boy named Owen (Liam Aiken) who is empowered with the ability to communicate with canines when he adopts a cute, crash-landed border terrier from outer space, it's a kiddie picture that starts strong with some freshly funny twists on obvious jokes ("Hey, I drank out of that bowl!" the dog barks after seeing the kid use the toilet).

    But after a likable first act of awkward bonding as the kid tries to help the critter he's named "Hubble" repair a distress beacon (apparently the mutt isn't familiar with his own technology) and adjust to life on Earth, the plot goes to the dogs. It seems that man's best friends were sent to our planet eons ago to take over, but they got lazy. Now The Greater Dane is coming for an inspection, and it's up to Hubble (provided a listless, low-key voice by Matthew Broderick), Owen, and an eclectic foursome of neighborhood hounds (voiced by Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Delta Burke and Carl Reiner) to make it look like dogs rule the Earth.

    "Good Boy!" never rises above its gimmick again. Writer-director John Hoffman adopts a lackadaisical, it's-just-a-kids'-movie approach to conceptual plot holes, stereotyped bullies, oblivious parents (ham-fisted "Saturday Night Live" alums Kevin Nealon and Molly Shannon), disingenuous tear-jerking and rudimentary, pat-on-the-head life lessons ("Home isn't where you are, it's who you're with.").

    A silly sense of humor and the put-upon Everykid screen presence of young Aiken ("Stepmom," "I Dreamed of Africa") should be enough to keep the pre-teen target audience happy, but parents will likely be disappointed watching the movie's early promise go to waste.



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