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Techtite's Movie Reviews! |
"Predictable to the extreme, you have to love an old dog such as this if just because so many of the new 'cats' in comedy aren't terribly funny these days." --from the review ------------- Sidebar :: ------------- No Sidebar Comments For This Review. Yet... ----------------- Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted! ------------------
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Old DogsReview by TechtiteSometimes a review can be summarized in one simple sentence. Example: how did you feel about Wild Hogs? This isn't a test for the animal lover in you: these two vastly different stories were made by the same people, starring the same actor (John Travolta) under the same studio name (Disney) and most importantly, with the same jokes. If you hated that movie; read no further. If you at least liked that movie, this movie has the same humor, only more so. Interpret that as you will.Yes, I know; early reviews for Old Dogs have been brutal. However, if you ask me, I found the movie more than passable, and perhaps even fun, on several levels. For one thing the two leads are John Travolta and Robin Williams. Put these two in a room with no script and they're still funny. Cynics will state the obvious joke there, and I admit: this movie is hardly Shakespearean. However, to be brutally honest: if I see one more movie where some curly haired dweeb gets Katherine Heigl pregnant while smoking hard drugs, I think I am going to cry. This "old dog" might know very few new tricks, though at least all the old jokes are still funny. The story is admittedly simple. Dan (Williams) and Charlie (Travolta) are old bachelors married to their jobs. Along comes a girlfriend from Dan's past, Vicki (ironically played by Travolta's real-life wife Kelly Preston), who reveals that Dan is a dad. She is going to jail due to a protest movement gone awry, and needs Dan to take care of fraternal twins Zack (Conner Rayburn) and Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta) while she's away. You can write the rest of the movie all on your own, I am sure...however, can you imagine how funny the story can be, with Williams and Travolta in the lead roles? Before you ask: no, the best jokes are not all seen in the trailer. After seeing Seth Green (as Dan and Charlie's new intern) being hugged by a gorilla in every single commercial, you would think that was the only joke to be had here. Not true. From attempting a camping trip to a hilarious botched mix-up of each "old dog's" medication; there's a lot of humor here. My favorite moment would have to be the one where Dan goes to such lengths to bond with his daughter, that he dresses up as a King to be part of her princess tea party. As the Uncle of two nieces, that was cute. It was also a scene with a fair amount of heart...which, again, is more than I can say for many so-called comedies these days. To be fair to all the many reviews who hated this movie: yes, this film's humor is a lot like Wild Hogs. However, my biggest gripe with that movie was that there was so much lost potential in the story concept. To be brutally honest, there really wasn't much potential here to begin with, so by stark contrast, I was impressed by how this potential "lemon" was made into so much lemonade by Travolta and Williams. Kudos must also be given to Seth "Robot Chicken" Green, who steals every scene he's in. In the end you have a comedy that was funny...and how many comedies these days can truly say that? One comedy has a chubby dweeb get a cute girl "Knocked Up." Another movie has a whole menagerie of admittedly talented stars go to a "Couples Retreat," which had all the pleasure (and humor) of three simultaneous root canals. This Old Dog might not be fresh and new, though its old humor still works and in the end, it was honestly the best genuine laugh I've had all year.
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