MovieChat Forums > Old Dogs (2009) Discussion > A Discussion of the Film "Old Dogs" in T...

A Discussion of the Film "Old Dogs" in Two Parts


Part I - Innocence

...What can i say? I'm a complete sucker for fantastically s--tty films. i am, after all, totally of the mind that one can learn a LOT more about filmmaking by seeing exactly what not to do. i will certainly have my notepad on hand while viewing this obvious disaster.

i'm excited, man!!

Part II - In which innocence is lost

oh no. oh...oh no! NO!! i mean... my GOD; how can a movie with such a simple function - the temporary appeasement of the under-tens of the house - get nearly everything so ass-backwards/wrong wrong WRONG!? i mean - this isn't exactly a "s--tty miracle", to borrow a phrase coined by Mr. Nathan Rabin over at A.V. Club, but it's well on the way. One of the film's major comedic set pieces is the simply harebrained situation of Robin Williams (RIP, always) getting spray tained too much, while Mr. Travolta "hits on" the glib, pathetically written "woman" working front desk at same spray tan joint... by calling up his good buddy - he of sub-fifty percent career Free Thrower, Shaquille O'neal. He then hands the phone to the starstruck, stupid STUPID woman, and so she throws her pesky commitment to her lowly CUSTOMER way off into un-charted space... like a Shaq Free Throw. (come on, you knew that was coming) - anyway, what's important to here is the fact that THAT above scenario is the best comedy this movie can squeeze out. That and the ever-prevalent 'Dog reaction shot' - i didn't bother counting the number of times this crappy, crappy film throws it to poor Rover for some lame joke's button, but it happens a lot. Especially a lot since once is WAY too many times to fall on that hoary old cliché.

P.S, It pains me to pass this on, but i feel it's my duty as "one of the unfortunates" who've actually seen this turkey - and so if it is in my power to change an innocent's mind as to whether they should give this film a chance...? i'll do whatever is necessary. After Mr. Williams' disastrous time spent in the spray-tan booth, he comes out looking extremely brown. instead of doing any number of things, really, he apparently goes from the tan place to the street; the whereabouts of his buddy Travolta, who he went to the place with? WHO CARES?? It's time for racism! (Yes, he is approached by several people of several races, each one so incredibly stupid that they are unable to see that not only is this man not naturally whatever color they take him for, it's a HIDEOUSLY botched color job. A young kid compares him to an Oompa Loompa, who are famously orange. So are we to be cool with, say, the Asian woman mistaking the skin color that a young child could see through? Because i am NOT cool with that. Not cool with that at all.

reply