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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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See
Spot Run
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Reviewed
by: |
Veronica
Mixon |
| Genre: |
Comedy
|
| Video: |
LBX/16.9
wide screen |
| Audio: |
DTS/Dolby
Digital 5.1/SDDS |
| Language: |
English,
French |
| Subtitle: |
English,
French and Spanish |
| Length: |
2 hrs |
| Rating: |
PG |
| Release
Date: |
9/8/01 |
| Studio: |
Warner
Brothers |
| Commentary:
|
Audio commentary
by director John Whitesell |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
Spot's Silly Tricks Contest
Winners |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
Yes |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Yes |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
"As Long As You're Love
Me" by Vitamin C |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
David Arquette,
Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Joe Viterelli, Angus T.
Jones, Anthony Anderson and Paul Sorvino. |
| Screenplay
by: |
Andrew Deane,
Michael Alexander Miller and George Gallo, |
| Produced
by: |
Bruce Berman, Michael
Alexander Miller, Andrew Deane, John Peter Kousalis, Ira Shuman,
Robert Simonds and Tracey Trench |
| Directed
By: |
John Whitesell
|
| Music: |
John Debney
|
| The
Review: |
After preventing
a crook from escaping a drug bust, Special Agent K-9, who happens
to be a dog is sent off for protective custody because the mobster
(Sorvino) has put a hit out on him. Meanwhile, happy-go-lucky
mailman, Gordon (Arquette) agrees to care for the young son
(Angus T. Jones) of a pretty neighbor (Bibb) in the hopes that
this will lead to romance. His best pal, Benny (Anderson) warns
him against it but Gordon feels this is a positive move in the
right direction. As he and the boy slowly bond, they are joined
by K-9, who is renamed Spot. Gordon hates dogs because they
make his job difficult but the boy falls in love with Spot.
What follows is a zany group of skits involving Spot avoiding
the hit men and Gordon challenging the dog. The director clearly
wanted to make a family film that could be tolerated by adults
as well as kids. By teaming Arquette and Anderson, there is
enough adult humor to satisfy parents while the kids enjoying
the antics of a boy discovering the joy of eating Fruit Loops.
I don't quite understand why the filmmakers decided to torture
Leslie Bibb, the working mom but the icky roadside accidents
are funny. This film won't go down as the most coherent comedy
given all of the elements: Michael Clarke Duncan as an FBI agent
who prefers the company of the pouch rather than his shapely
female co-worker; the two mob hit men chasing a dog around town;
Arquette and Anderson in their man-child antics and Bibb being
punished for leaving her child at home. You can tell there were
a lot of writers on this project because despite some good laughs,
this movie is very jumbled and confusing at times. |
| Image
and Sound |
This
comedy has been transformed from the big screen in a crisp clean
image and wonderful sound. There's a lot of music to underscore
the comic skits that each of the characters perform. |
| The
Extras |
Spot's
Silly Tricks Contest Winners is a funny featurette that has
dogs competing for bit parts in the movie. Their real life owners
sent in videotape of the pouches as they performed pet tricks.
There is also a MTV style music video sung by Vitamin C. Director
John Whitesell's an audio commentary concerns the talents of
the various actors, how they set up a lot of skits and why they
thought certain things would work. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
"See Spot Run" isn't a classic animal/family
comedy but there is genuine warmth between Arquette, the boy
and the dog that audiences will enjoy. Dog lovers and kids
will certainly enjoy the movie and Arquette and Anderson.
Too bad, "See Spot Run" isn't very good.
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