John Travolta and Robin Williams star in Old Dogs, the hilarious family comedy that will have you howling. Two best friends have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of seven-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The clueless bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the children, leading to one debacle after another, with a gorilla and some pecking penguins — and perhaps to a newfound understanding of what’s really important in life. Featuring a riotously funny supporting cast including Seth Green, Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon and Lori Laughlin, Old Dogs is a laugh-a-minute comedy filled with heart.
Bonus Features Include Exclusive To Disney Combo Pack: Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks, Exclusive To Disney Combo Pack: Music Video You’ve Been A Friend To Me Performed By Bryan Adams, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Music Video Every Little Step Performed By John Travolta And Ella Bleu Travolta, Audio Commentary By Director Walt Becker, Producer Andrew Panay And Writers David Diamond And David Weissman, DVD Feature Film Plus Bonus, Digital Copy Of Feature FilmWho says you can’t teach Old Dogs new tricks? Robin Williams and John Travolta are the old, single “dogs” in question, reveling in great chemistry as lifelong pals who’ve together grown a successful marketing empire–but who have somehow managed to avoid ever really growing up. The cast, featuring Travolta’s real wife, Kelly Preston (who, with costar Rita Wilson, reveals just how fine a comedian she is, and how the screen really sparkles when she’s on it), and his real-life daughter Ella Bleu, is top-notch. Other great performances include Bernie Mac, a sultry Lori Loughlin, Matt Dillon, and a dynamite Seth Green as a mini-mogul in training. The plot revolves around the Old Dogs’ suddenly needing to care for twin 7-year-olds (the heretofore unknown children of Williams’s character, Dan) and finding that they learn as much from the kids as vice versa. Moans Dan to Travolta’s Charlie, after awkwardly tucking in the kids for the night at Charlie’s bachelor pad, “I just shook hands goodnight with my daughter.” Old Dogs is a fun family film that’s appropriate for ages 8 and up, with enough jokes and great timing to please grownups too. –A.T. Hurley
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March 14, 2008
#1
Because Thanksgiving is tomorrow, many families will hope for something to laugh at. They can choose either this or “The Blind Side.”
I really love Robin Williams as an actor. He tends to make audiences laugh with his funny movies. It’s a good thing for him that he actually likes doing his movies in New York which is no wonder why he is one of New Yorker’s successful people. I also don’t mind a little of John Travolta here and there. So, I was hoping for good things from “Old Dogs,” mainly a funny film that Disney could do no wrong. I should’ve looked at the reviews, but boy were they right, or not?
“Old Dogs” took a completely crazy idea and turned it into the most demented film that basically I would not even follow up to. It tells the story of two boys named Dan and Charlie. They are brothers. Dan’s longtime ex-wife is going on vacation and wants Dan to be in charge, like a father, as a babysitter. So it’s up to Dan and Charlie to be on the watch for his two children. Although, Dan is not that good with kids at all. They make up their own imagination and do fun activities like mentors. However, Dan starts his business in Japan which ends up into a disaster.
Believe the critics and me, “Old Dogs” is not that funny. It’s really stupid, dull, unappealing and demented. Mostly demented. I have seen Robin Williams making others laugh, even when his movies are bad, but this bad, forget it.
We have seen Disney do family comedies before. Dwayne Johnson did child care in “The Game Plan.” Adam Sandler did child care in “Bedtime Stories.” Vin Diesel did the same bad (to each his own) thing in “The Pacifier.” Now, do we need to see Robin Williams. Disney, famous people, give me a break. I’m sure though that Dwayne and Adam did better than Robin. I’m also sure that even Vin did better than Robin too. It’s one thing to see Tim Allen do this for many movies, because he was in two of the greatest Disney computer animated movies of the 1990s, “Toy Story” (and hopefully next summer with “Toy Story 3″), but still Tim Allen has the right to do something like that more than anyone else. Come to think of it, if this were more of Tim Allen’s story, then that movie would’ve been great. I think the best example of these kind of movies other than Robin Williams is Steve Martin.
I just don’t even care about “Old Dogs” even at the beginning. The dialogue is so godawful with too much crude bathroom jokes and offensive comic relief that maybe even a four year old wouldn’t even tolerate. If John Travolta was making a inappropriate sociopath smiley face over a funeral scene, we could tell that he was pretending to be The Joker in “The Dark Knight” without him mentioning it.
Don’t waste your time on this stupid, lame, demented movie. Go watch a football game since its Thanksgiving tomorrow.
March 14, 2008
#2
Watching Robin Williams in such senile, slow, and tight shape detracted my attention from his comical performance. Williams used to ignite the screen in his prime years. In this movie, his acting as a drug-impaired was forcible and predictable. One could sense the total lack of improvisation in Williams’ effort to display his loss of sense of distance.
John Travolta’s overweight, congested veins and swollen neck created another distraction. His episode of insatiable appetite as an accidentally impaired victim was introduced by long and silly introduction on the side effects of the pills he swallowed. The movie took too long to explain the impending intoxication joke, yet to show dismal acting by relying on two drained old stars.
In contrast, the unimpeded acting of Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu saved long minutes of the artificial performance of the two struggling actors. Ella compensated for her dad’s negligence of his health by her angelical childhood of untainted improvisation.
Seth Green also made up for the downfalls and restricted personalities of the two old dogs. Green needed no trigger to get him fire up, as opposed to Travolta’s constant attempts to keep his belly tight and avoid falling asleep.
The scenario of urban New Yorkers’ lifestyle of coping with the madness of the expansiveness of business at the expense of abandoning the old tradition of family closeness might fall within the category of making movies about movies. The movie was clattered with cultural events that remotely relate to most of the viewers. Plenty of time was spent on childproofing an apartment with 15-feet deep swimming pool, dog funeral, and unusually inserted actresses that appeared more like movie stars than ordinary people.
The uplifting spirit of the movie was the display of New Yorkers’ tolerance to others’ shortcomings. The three business partners stuck together despite the exceptional burdens created by their association. Charlie played a good Charlie of a charismatic pal who never let life material issues ruin the precious human values.
March 14, 2008
#3
I saw this movie at a theater, originally. I went because I really enjoy both actors who star in it and I knew that I’d have a pretty good evening. However, it was even funnier than I anticipated and I never laughed so hard in my life.
I’ve been waiting for the video to come out and I’m so glad to have finally found it and the ability to pre-order a copy.
Thanks Amazon.com!
March 14, 2008
#4
We went to see this movie over the weekend with friends, and I can’t tell you the last time I laughed this hard at a movie. I was crying I was laughing so hard!! I really didn’t expect much from it, but I was pleasantly surprised.
March 14, 2008
#5
Wow, I can not believe so many people hated this movie. It is a fun family film. My mom and I went to see it and we laughed through out the movie, as did the other people in the theater. It’s about 2 men who are in buisness together. One day, one of the men find out he has two kids with a lady he met a long time ago. The lady has to go away for 2 weeks and she can not find any one to watch her kids. The man tells her that he will do it. It’s hard for him at first. I mean, he never had kids and isn’t good with them when he is around them. He learns what thing should be and are most important to him in life. If you take the movie to seriously then I guess you could find fault with it. That though is the case with any movie. Go see this with your kids or just with friends or other family. If you just sit back and remember that is is a disney family movie, then will should have no problem laughing and enjoying yourself.
I am 24 and my mom 19 years older. We both laughed many times during the movie. Just relax and watch. I can’t wait to buy the movie when it comes out on DVD. I look forward to watching it with my grandparents. Maybe one day I’ll get married and have a kid or two. Then I will get to enjoy it with them as well.