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Good Boy!

Good Boy!

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Good Boy, Bad Movie
Review: "Good Boy!" plays a bit like a low budget "E.T." on acid. It tells the story of a lonely suburban boy named Owen who becomes best friends with a dog from outer space whose vehicle crash lands in a nearby woods. The pooch gives Owen the ability to communicate verbally with him and all the other dogs in the neighborhood. Thus, we have the umpteenth variation on the talking animal syndrome begun so successfully with "Babe" almost ten years ago. "Good Boy," in a way, is for all those who expected "Snow Dogs" to feature chatty canines only to discover that the dogs in that movie spoke only in one very short fantasy sequence (the ads for the film did a good job bamboozling patrons into thinking otherwise).

"Good Boy," which does feature a cast of jabbering canines, proves that we've come a long way since "Babe" - and not, I'm sorry to say, in the right direction. Despite voiceover work from some pretty impressive big name actors (Matthew Broderick, Delta Burke, Cheech Marin, Vanessa Redgrave), "Good Boy" is one ghastly little movie, fine for those between the ages of 5 and 10, I suppose, but worthless for just about anyone else. Adults will be frankly bored by this low grade little fantasy that offers a dopey plot, inane dialogue, cheesy special effects and enough flatulence jokes to keep 'em rolling in the aisles at the local nursery school (fart jokes seem to be practically a prerequisite for any film aimed at the grade school set these days). The screenplay wobbles back and forth between half-assed cynical wisecracks and goopy sentimentality regarding the eternal verities of man/dog relationships. I realize that very young kids may take to this film, but don't they really deserve better?


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Boy
Review: Amy
Good Boy

Woof! Woof! Or, How's it going? What if your dog suddenly started to talk? What would you do?
Owen Baker (Liam Aiken) has been walking dogs to earn one of his own. His dog Hubble (voiced by Mathew Broderick), after a mysterious "dream", begins to talk. Owen learns about Serious (The planet where all dogs came from millions of years ago). Like the fact that dogs came to earth to take it over. If the dogs have not taken over, the Greater Dane (voiced by Vanessa Redgrave) will take all the dogs away.

When Owen is talking to Hubble through the woofer (a radio that Hubble used to communicate with Serious) he really captured the feeling of the movie. Reviewing this hart wrenching moment you understand Owen's love for Hubble. As director John Hoffman said, " it is sadder when you watch some one hold back their tears than when they cry their eyes out."
Dogs are actors, too. It is amazing how the trainers got the dogs to do the things they did, without to much computer imaging. For example when they get 5 dogs to lie on their backs for an entire scene.
Director John Hoffman is also the screenwriter. He said that he had all the breads of the dogs except for Hubble, before he got the dogs. The dog that played Hubble was an accident.
Because of some milled crude hummer the movie was rated PG. The directing was a plus. The scenes were not choppy the costumes made me believe that the characters were real.
Good Boy, the wonderful, heart warming movie, captured my heart!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Imperfect, but laudable
Review: Compassion is a tough-sell in today's movie marketplace (within the "Culture of Fear"). 70% of the product in the theaters is packaged around the industrial ingredient of violence. One of the alternatives provided to modern audiences that don't want to be abused with antisocial content is to swallow one's adult pride and try to regress to one's youth and check out this type of film. It's not perfect, but its heart is ultimately in the right place. Yes, I know... too many bathroom jokes. It really didn't need any, but they put them in there all the same. On the other hand, seeing this film has reminded me what gets people into films in the first place...a sense of wonder and sharing and sympathy and sensing that maybe others really do have similar basic human needs as ourselves...before we're trained to think that everything on film has to be about violence and rebellion and, uh, you know, other crude content. Enough disclaimer. Underneath all of the gags and marketing, the main thing about this film is that it shows compassion. Isn't that more important than anything else in the theaters right now? Isn't that more important than identifying where this theme and that one has been done before in "E.T.", "Cats & Dogs", etc.? Gotta vote with $$$ though. When Matrix clones fill the multiplex screens with their ridiculous mayhem and insidious cynicism, I made sure that my $$$ was more carefully spent, by seeing this film for a second time, and enjoying it even more than I had on the first viewing. But programming runs deep. How many adults would dare to see a film like this and admit that it had good things in it... things that outweigh its flaws. I hope that the producers and Hollywood in general notes that this film succeeds NOT because of the crude gags but because of the sentimental themes underlying it. Sometimes, the stories told with children are really addressing the most basic human feelings after all. And don't most people really want some order and stability in their lives? That's what this film is all about, and I happily turn away from all the cynicism and mayhem and counterculture for each pleasant 90 minute viewing of this modest yet ultimately successful little film. May we have more films like this, and with that greater quantity to choose from, some of those efforts will prove to be true gems! I have to add that the mixture of trained animals, special effects, and human actors is very impressive. The focus of that mixture is an outstanding, nuanced, earnest, humorous, and moving performance by the film's central actor Liam Aiken. (Is it possible for a youngster to be nominated for a Best Actor award when his performance appears in an imperfect comedy film?? No one would probably be so bold, but then I've never considered the subject before seeing this. I think the range of performance here was much wider and contextually more difficult to pull off than the Osment-nominating "Sixth Sense" performance! Director Hoffman also deserves much credit for his critically underappreciated accomplishment here. Did no one recognize the enormous technical difficulties and performer demands in making such a film? I suppose since "Babe" came out first, everyone takes such things for granted now.)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: The Dame as Dane.
Review: Don't take your children to this movie. It is over the top bad acting(except for a few doggie scenes), poor story line, boring for anyone over six, and generally boring. Whoops, did I say that? I can not believe the voice of Vanessa Redgrave as the Great Dane.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE BEST FAMILY FILM, 2003
Review: Here is a wonderful, beautiful, delightful movie that conjurs images of "E.T" and "Beethoven". It's a wonderful break from flaky action-figure heroes and animated Barbies. Owen adopts a unique terrier who is actually from the dog star Sirius. He tries to make the "Earth Dogs" look like they are in control of humans, since that was their mission, and his owner, "Owen" happily goes along, not wanting all the dogs in the world to be sent back to Sirius for retraining. But when two bullies change that, Owen and "Hubble" must convince the Greater Dane that dogs belong on earth. I laughed and cried during this film, and I came out with a new revelation of how precious dogs are to us.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: my favorite dog movie!
Review: I am seven years old.I have seen lots of dog movies and this is one of the best!I really liked Hubble,Barbara Ann and Nelly.It's a good movie for kids over five who will understand it better than younger kids.I think it's easy to understand beacause some dog movies use big words that kids will not get.I loved it and give it 5 stars!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terrible!
Review: I have never not been able to sit through a rated G movie. However, my sister and I rented this thinking it would be a funny show, and it was so terribly BORING that I was forced to leave the room. I couldn't believe it because I love movies. I can see how this movie would be funny for a 6 year old boy to watch, but don't count on the parents or older siblings being able to sit through it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good for Young Children
Review: I have seen this movie, and this is better than all the movies I've seen. Owens figures out Hubble is from outer space, it sounds like a gig from "E.T.". I like the comedy in this movie most of all. In all of the movies I've seen I would recommend this to Children and Adults who are dog lovers.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Predictable On All Sides
Review: I just saw this movie and I have to say it is way too predictable which brought it down alot. I mean, the kid that doesn't fit in, two bullys, a girl that he likes later likes him, they're going to move and the boy hates it, the dog becoming his best freind, Hubble(the dog) later likes humans, Hubble tries to convince the Greater Dane that dogs and huumans should rule equally, and the list goes on and on and on. The reason why I gave it two stars instead of one is because I liked some of the humor.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good Boy was Great!
Review: I loved this movie. I think it's one of the best kid movies I have seen this year. I hope lots of kids get to see this movie.
The dogs are great, the voices fit each dogs perfectly. My mom really liked the movie too. She said she would buy this movie when it comes out on DVD.


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