Monday, March 13, 2006

Movie Review: The Shaggy Dog

I took the kids to see The Shaggy Dog this afternoon. It was cute and mostly innocuous and vapid, with a syrupy twinge of animal rights thrown in for good measure.

I could've done without the scene in the courthouse men's room. Nothing graphic, but I just hate urinal scenes. Yecch. And he didn't wash his hands when he left -- I did notice that. EWWW!!! I suppose it was because he was becoming a dog and dogs don't care, but still...

That, and I know it was part of the story, but Tim Allen just is NOT attractive without clothes on. He just isn't. For that matter, he's not attractive WITH clothes on either, but that doesn't matter as much because he's funny. Take off his shirt, and he's just... umm... icky.

At least one funny reference to Buzz Lightyear made it into the script, as a nice tongue-in-cheek nod. Robert Downey Jr. does the over-the-top thing well, too. I especially liked the teenage girl who played Tim Allen's daughter. I think her name was Zena Grey. IMDB says her parents are both artists. She's definitely someone to watch. Spencer Breslin is a staple in Disney fare and doesn't disappoint here, either, as Tim Allen's son.

Don't pay full price because it's just not that good, but as a matinee with the kids and a bucket of popcorn, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than this movie.

No comments: