Old Dogs

I was definitely surprised by this movie. This was the type of movie that I figured is one where they show you all the funny parts in the trailers and then yuou go and you know precisely when all the funny parts are coming. Having seen this movie I found that it was an enjoyable and funny movie. Maybe it is because I can't remember all of the trailers but it did not seem like all of the comedy was not in the trailer. The movie was definitely a solid effort by the cast.

Robin Williams  and John Travolta play Dan and Charlie. They have a great chemistry and play off one another magnificently and are definitely a good comedy duo that have great timing. To me they took the premise of finding out you have kids with a new twist. Kelly Preston plays Vicki, who is the one that Robin Williams let get away only to have her come back and let him know that he has two twin children and that she wants him to check in on them while they are watched by her friend as she has to serve a two week jail sentence. Unfortunately, disaster strikes and her friend is unable to watch the kids and Dan offers to save the day. As Dan tries to connect with his kids a great twist on this is that everywhere they take the kids they are mistaken to be grandparents, not parents.

I think there were a couple of parts that they could have extended and played off more. For me that was the camping trip as part of the pioneer scouts. Matt Dillon and Justin Long were definitely underutilized. There performances of the overly eager troop leaders. Nothing beats the great ultimate frisbee scene. Travolta and Williams are actually holding there own, until Travolta knocks Long's character down. Which leads to the game changing to prison rule style.

Some of the best comedic bits involve Seth Green. This may be in part the fact that I am still a juvenile at heart, but I could not help but really laugh after Dan accidentally swings a golf club and ends up hitting a golf ball right into Green's groin. Physical comedy seems to always be funny and easy to get the laughs. One of the best elements of this whole movie is the simple fact that it is actually a decent family movie.

Don't believe the reviews that say it stinks. It's just got a low key vibe, and if you need a ton of clever dialogue or special effects to keep your interest then of course you won't appreciate the subtlety of what are portrayals of real relationships. I am giving this movie two buckets of popcorn out of five and it is definitely worth the price of renting.

-The Movie Man-