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Old Dogs (film)

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Old Dogs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWalt Becker
Written byDavid Diamond
David Weissman
Produced byAndrew Panay
Peter Abrams
Robert Levy
StarringJohn Travolta
Robin Williams
Kelly Preston
Seth Green
Lori Loughlin
Bernie Mac
Matt Dillon
CinematographyJeffrey L. Kimball
Edited byRyan Folsey
Tom Lewis
Music byJohn Debney
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Release date
November 25, 2009 (2009-11-25)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million
Box office$85,027,039[1]

Old Dogs is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Wild Hogs's Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with supporting roles played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard and Bernie Mac. It was released in theaters on November 25, 2009 and will be released on DVD March 9th, 2010.

The movie is dedicated to both Mac (his final film in a cameo role, who died in August 2008) and Jett Travolta (John Travolta's son, who died in January 2009).

Old Dogs received poor reception from film critics. The Orlando Sentinel called the film "badly written and broadly acted".[2] The Chicago Daily Herald said the film "should be put out of our misery".[3] The San Jose Mercury News and The Boston Globe both described the film as a "turkey".[4][5] Reviews in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and AV Club said the movie was not recommended for adults or children.[6][7]

Plot

Charlie Reed (John Travolta) and Dan Rayburn (Robin Williams) are best friends and co-owners of a successful sports marketing firm. Seven years prior, Dan, recently divorced, married Vicki (Kelly Preston) after being whisked away by Charlie for a tropical vacation. The wedding, however, is short lived. Seven years later, Vicki resurfaces to tell Dan that their short marriage resulted in something he never suspected: twins Zach (Conner Rayburn) and Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta).

Vicki, facing jail time for her work as an environmental activist, asks Dan to take care of the kids while she does her time. Thinking this might be his chance to get back with Vicki, Dan agrees, but only if Charlie will help him since neither have any experience taking care of kids. At the same time, the two must finalize a huge marketing deal with a Japanese company--something they've always dreamed of but will take all of their talents to clinch.

Because Dan's condo does not allow children, he has to board with Charlie. Whilst this is happening, Charlie and Dan are close to securing the biggest account in the history of their careers with a Japanese corporation. Charlie and Dan's attempts to take care of the kids are well-intentioned but very misguided. On a trip with the kids to an overnight camp, a hard-nosed camp instructor (Matt Dillon) becomes convinced that Dan and Charlie are homosexual partners. The trip ends with a bang after Dan accidentally sets a beloved statue of the camp's founder on fire.

The kids then proceed to spill and replace Charlie and Dan's prescriptions, mixing them up int he process. Dan then must play a game of golf with the Japanese executives while experiencing extreme side effects and Charlie tries to woo Amanda (Lori Loughlin) with a face frozen by the pills. Needless to say, neither event goes well.

Desperate to communicate with the children despite his inexperience with Children, Dan has Charlie recruit Jimmy Lunchbox (Bernie Mac), a world famous childrens' entertainer. Jimmy straps Dan and Charlie in motion control puppet suits so Charlie can help Dan make all the right moves with his daughter while having a tea party. The suits malfunction but Dan speaks from the heart, winning over Emily. Everything is great with Vicki returns home; however, the guys have sealed their Japanese deal, sending junior associate Craig (Seth Green) to Tokyo; however, Craig goes missing after arriving there and the guys must fly to Toyko themselves to work. Dan must leave the kids and Vicki despite his (and their) desire to be a family.

Dan realizes once in Tokyo that what he really wants is to be a good father. He leaves the meeting without sealing the deal, rushing with Charlie to Vermont for the kids' birthday party. They aren't able to get into the Burlington Zoo in time and are forced to break in with the help of Craig; however, they mistakenly wind up in the gorilla enclosure. Though Dan and Charlie escape, Craig is captured by the gorilla (which takes a strong liking to the man).

Dan then steals a jet-pack from a birthday party performer, flying into the ceremony and winning his kids back over. A year later, Dan and Vicki are together, Charlie has married Amanda, and Craig has become like a new "uncle" to the kids.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

The film received extremely negative reviews, and Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 6% rating based on 77 aggregated reviews, making it certified "rotten"[8] and based on a selection of 19 of their top "Top Critics" the film achieved a rating of only 5%.[9] The film was ranked number three on their list of the ten most moldy films of 2009.[10] At Metacritic, Old Dogs received an aggregated rating of 19 based on 22 reviews, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[11] Film critic Roger Ebert gave Old Dogs a rating of one star out of a possible four.[12] Ebert opened his review commenting, "'Old Dogs' is stupefying dimwitted. What were John Travolta and Robin Williams thinking of? Apparently their agents weren't perceptive enough to smell the screenplay in its advanced state of decomposition".[12] The Salt Lake Tribune gave Old Dogs a rating of zero stars out of a possible four, and criticized the film for "hammy acting and sledgehammer editing".[13] Film critic Roger Moore of The Orlando Sentinel gave Old Dogs a rating of one and a half stars out of a possible four.[2] "Trashing Old Dogs is a bit like kicking a puppy. But here goes. The new comedy from some of the folks who brought us Wild Hogs is badly written and broadly acted, shamelessly manipulative and not above stopping by the toilet for a laugh or two," wrote Moore.[2] Bill Goodykoontz of The Star Press gave the film a critical review, and commented, "'Old Dogs,' which stars Robin Williams and John Travolta as a couple of aging bachelors who suddenly have twins thrust upon them, delivers everything you’d expect. Which is: not much."[14] He concluded his review with, "Let’s hope Williams, Travolta and the rest got a fabulous payday for “Old Dogs.” Because otherwise, you know, woof."[14] In a review for The Arizona Republic, Goodykoontz gave the film a rating of one and a half stars out of a possible five.[15] Writing for the San Jose Mercury News in an analysis of movies that were released around Thanksgiving, Randy Myers placed Old Dogs below "The Scraps: Leftovers that should be immediately placed in Fido's bowl."[4] Myers commented, "We have a winner in the Thanksgiving movie turkey contest."[4] Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote, "Too bad this shrilly tuned comedy doesn't demand more than clock-punching effort from everyone involved."[16]

"'Old Dogs' is stupefying dimwitted. What were John Travolta and Robin Williams thinking of? Apparently their agents weren't perceptive enough to smell the screenplay in its advanced state of decomposition"

 —Roger Ebert
[12]

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter summed up his review with, "Bottom Line: Insipid, predictable, broad comedy mixed with Disney Family Values makes for one exasperating sit."[17] Honeycutt called the film "a dumb male movie", and concluded, "'Old Dogs' gives men a bad name."[17] Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave the film a rating of one and a half stars.[6] Dudek did not recommend the movie to parents or to children, commenting, "'Old Dogs' is not your father's Disney movie. And, maybe, despite the PG rating, not your kids' either. The movie, opening in theaters Wednesday, has lots of rough edges unsuitable for little tykes."[6] He concluded that the film, "has no new tricks, only preposterous story lines."[6] Film critic Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote, "There are no new tricks in 'Old Dogs,' a cheesy chew-toy of a comedy about reluctant fatherhood."[18] Williams gave the film a rating of one and a half stars, and concluded, "After it’s exhausted every other gimmick, the movie tries to win our hearts. But 'Old Dogs' is so oafish, when it tosses us a biscuit, it feels like we've been smacked with a newspaper."[18] Mary Pols of MSN Movies gave the film a rating of zero stars out of a possible five.[19] Pols wrote that the jokes in the film were not appropriate for children, commenting, "It's not just that the jokes are tasteless and inappropriate for children. They aren't even a little bit funny."[19] Dann Gire of the Chicago Daily Herald reviewed the film and concluded, "Like real old dogs, this movie should be put out of our misery."[3] Rene Rodriguez of The Miami Herald review the film and gave it a rating of two stars.[20] Rodriguez characterized the film as a "disposable but inoffensive picture".[20] Writing for Metromix, Matt Pais described Old Dogs as "A great opportunity to gather family members you clearly think are stupid."[21] Pais commented on the acting in the film, "The verdict: All of the actors involved (including Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Ann-Margaret and Paolo Costanzo) seem to have collectively placed their sense of self-respect in a bag and tossed it in the toilet. Yet the biggest culprits are Williams and Travolta, who are now so devoid of comic instincts that Becker must rely on reaction shots from Charlie's dog to show that someone is actually trying."[21]

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film a rating of one star.[22] "'Wild Hogs,' 'Old Dogs' — what’s next, 'Bumps on Logs'? Truly, I would rather watch John Travolta and Robin Williams sitting on a tree trunk, doing nothing, than endure their best efforts to energize this ol’ hound," wrote Phillips.[22] He concluded, "The labored premise of this setup is not worth the effort — it’s sort of icky both as humor and as pathos. Good will generated by familiar faces cannot overcome all obstacles."[22] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe was critical of the film, and also called it a "turkey".[5] Burr said of Disney's decision to produce the film, "If they had any respect for audiences, they might never have released it at all."[5] John Hazelton of Screen International observed, "the supposedly touching moments often feel manufactured".[23] Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film a grade of "F" in her review for Entertainment Weekly.[24] Filmcritic.com reviewer Alexander Zalben gave the film a rating of one star out of a possible five.[25] Keith Phipps of AV Club called the film "insulting" to children.[7] Phipps did not recommend the film for either children or adults, concluding, "Adults should steer clear. Kids should be sent to it only if they’ve been extraordinarily naughty."[7]

Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Carrie Rickey gave the film a rating of two and a half stars out of four.[26] Rickey commented of the multiple cameos in the film, "A child of 5 can see that these brief appearances serve to pad a gauze-thin script."[26] The review concluded, "Old Dogs may not be good. But the sight of pesky penguins pecking Travolta and Green in the embrace of an unlikely partner makes it just good enough."[26] Pete Hammond of Boxoffice gave the film 3/5 stars, and concluded, "Old Dogs may not reach the box office heights of Wild Hogs but its fun family friendly attitude should guarantee a healthy holiday haul."[27]

Box office

In its first day, Old Dogs opened in fifth place, with a take of $3.1 million.[28][29] This placed it behind New Moon, The Blind Side, 2012, and Ninja Assassin.[28][29] The film's five-day opening totaled $24,228,546.[30] Worldwide, the film grossed a total of $85,027,039 on an estimated budget of $35,000,000, making it a financial success.[31]

References

  1. ^ "Old Dogs (2009) Box Office". The-Numbers. Retrieved 2010-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c Moore, Roger (November 23, 2009). "Movie Review: Old Dogs, no new tricks". Movies with Roger Moore. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b Gire, Dann (November 24, 2009). "Shallow 'Old Dogs' lacks emotional bite". Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Myers, Randy (November 24, 2009). "Thanksgiving Movie Guide: From the main courses to the doggie scraps". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Burr, Ty (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs' lacks plot, purpose". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d Dudek, Duane (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs' digs up a tired plot that should have stayed buried". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Phipps, Keith (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". AV Club. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ "Old Dogs (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  9. ^ "Old Dogs (2009) - Top Critics". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  10. ^ "ROTTEN TOMATOES: 11th Annual Golden Tomato Awards: Moldy". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  11. ^ "Old Dogs". CBS Interactive Inc. Metacritic. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  12. ^ a b c Ebert, Roger (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". RogerEbert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-11-25. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ The Salt Lake Tribune staff (November 24, 2009). "5-minute movie reviews: 'Old Dogs,' 'Ninja Assassin'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ a b Goodykoontz, Bill (November 23, 2009). "REVIEW" 'Old Dogs' could use new tricks". The Star Press. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ Harvey, Dennis (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". Variety. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ a b Honeycutt, Kirk (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs -- Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  18. ^ a b Williams, Joe (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs' *1/2". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ a b Pols, Mary (November 24, 2009). "Put These 'Dogs' Down". MSN Movies. Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-11-25. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ a b Rodridguez, Rene (November 24, 2009). "Movies: Review / Old Dogs (PG) ** - No new tricks in this family comedy". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  21. ^ a b Pais, Matt (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs' review - A great opportunity to gather family members you clearly think are stupid". Metromix. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  22. ^ a b c Phillips, Michael (November 24, 2009). "'Old Dogs' -- 1 star". Talking Pictures. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  23. ^ Hazelton, John (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". Screen International. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ Zalben, Alexander (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs Movie Review". Filmcritic.com. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  26. ^ a b c Rickey, Carrie (November 24, 2009). "Old Dogs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-11-24. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ Hammond, Pete (2009-11-25). "Old Dogs Movie Review". Boxoffice. www.boxoffice.com. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  28. ^ a b DiOrio, Carl (November 26, 2009). ""Moon" begins long weekend atop box office". The Hollywood Reporter. Reuters. Retrieved 2009-11-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ a b Ellwood, Gregory (November 26, 2009). "Box Office: 'New Moon's' $14.3 million dominates 'Ninja' and 'Old Dogs'". HitFlix. HitFix Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-27. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=olddogs.htm
  31. ^ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/OLDOG.php
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