The Film
How Old Dogs didn't dominate this year's Razzie Awards is beyond us. We'd rather have a weekend of being force fed All About Steve a la A Clockwork Orange than have watch this horrible movie again.
Still interested? It's hard not to be. It's a family comedy with plenty of big names -- ones you've actually heard before. That's pretty much where the fun begins and ends.
Dan (Robin Williams) and Charlie (John Travolta) are about to close the biggest deal of their lives, when Dan's old flame shows up, introduces him to the kids he's never met, and says she's taking off for a 2-week stint in jail. Dan, being a good guy and perpetual doormat, says he'll watch the 7-year-old twins and invites his best buddy along for the painful ride.
Disney's 1.85:1 transfer is decent, but doesn't come close to making the film watchable. Skintones are a bit on the orange side, even outside of Dan's nightmarish tanning session. All other colors are very pretty, with nice black levels. Despite the film's prodominantly rapid pace, detail is also pretty decent, most notably on the aging faces of the two leads, as well as during the few brief flashes of Dan's FREEMONT tattoo.
The Sound
Not sure when to laugh? You aren't alone. However, the unsubtle soundtrack, presented here in lossless DTS-HD Master Audio, is there to guide you. Music and the sounds of slapstick completely overpower the film. All that's missing is an orchestra of slide whistles. That said, the dialogue is clear and there are plenty of other sounds for the surrounds, especially during the movie's stint at summer camp and the climactic zoo scene.
The Extras
It seems like no one wanted to put much into the extras department on this one. Apparently, being in the film was enough of a chore. Williams and Travolta are wisely absent from the commentary. However, listening to the kids ramble on would have been a lot more interesting than having the director, producer and writers giggle and try to justify the movie.
In the one original featurette, Conner Rayburn (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) interviews Robin Williams and Ella Bleu Travolta spends time grilling her dad on inane questions that no one would care about. Having the kids doing the interviewing is kind of cute. It definitely makes you want to punch them in the face a lot less. In case you're in need of some provoking, check out the daughter/daddy duet of "Every Little Step." Travolta made a career (and at least one jet) from singing and dancing in Grease. They should take away his pilot's hat for this one. There's also deleted scenes and bloopers, as if the entire film couldn't fall into either category.
Final Thoughts
The release date for Old Dogs was pushed back a total of three times. You'd think it could have learned a few editing tricks during the wait. We understand why someone wouldn't bother; it should have been put down long ago. Think these puns are bad? Wait until you see the movie.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
