DISNEY REMAKE IS A SHAGGY DOG STORY WITH JUST ENOUGH BITE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic EVERY CANINE has its day, and so it is that Disney trots out the latest incarnation of ``The Shaggy Dog,'' a family comedy that began life in 1959 as the studio's first live-action film, got a second wind in 1976 as ``The Shaggy D.A.'' and has since been remade re·made v. Past tense and past participle of remake. for television a couple of times. The latest version doesn't have much bite, but it doesn't roll over and play dead, either. If that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement, how about this - ``The Shaggy Dog'' ranks as the best showcase of Tim Allen's talents since ``The Santa Clause.'' (Still not on board? I understand.) Think about it: Playing a dog, the grunting, the growling ... it's really just an extension of the soft-edged male pig Allen played for all those years on ``Home Improvement.'' That show's easily digestible digestible having the quality of being able to be digested. digestible energy the proportion of the potential energy in a feed which is in fact digested. digestible protein see digestible protein. family-values lesson plan is also greatly in play here, as well. Allen plays Dave Douglas, an assistant D.A. with eyes on the office's top spot. But his careerism ca·reer·ism n. Pursuit of professional advancement as one's chief or sole aim: "Rampant careerism, which makes many a work place a joyless site, was in check" Mary McGrory. has come with a cost - his wife (``Sex and the City's'' Kristin Davis Kristin Landen Davis (also listed as Kristin Lee Davis) (born February 23 or February 24,[1] 1965 depending on the source) is an American Golden Globe and Emmy award-nominated actress best known for the role of Charlotte York on HBO's Sex and the City. ) feels neglected, and his kids (Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin Spencer Breslin (born May 18, 1992 in New York, New York) is an American actor. Biography He has appeared in blockbusters such as Disney's The Kid, The Santa Clause 2, The Cat in the Hat and Zoom. ) don't particularly like him. Of course, Dave is oblivious to all this - until he is bitten by a 300-year-old Zen Buddhist Noun 1. Zen Buddhist - an adherent of the doctrines of Zen Buddhism Zen, Zen Buddhism - school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith; China and Japan dog. Said dog bites Dave to alert him to the evil animal experiments taking place at a drug company. (Robert Downey Jr. is on hand, having fun playing the barking-mad genius of the firm.) The bite has complications. Soon Dave's senses are sharpened, he starts scratching like crazy, involuntarily chasing cats and fetching sticks and, finally, changing completely (through the magic of CG) into a sheep dog. For a few golden moments, it seems the film's five credited screenwriters This is a list of screenwriters: A–F
But, watching ``The Shaggy Dog'' progress into its run-of-the-mill platitudes about a man waking up to what's really important, I'm not sure if the movie's writers ever intended the whole noble dog thing or if my mind had just started to wander a bit, as it is wont to do during this type of by-the-numbers thing. Ultimately, it's probably not all that important to the target audience of tykes, who will lap up the numerous references to butt-sniffing and the obligatory musical cue A musical cue is where another instrument's music is shown on a piece of music. It is up to the performer or the conductor on whether the section should play it. A cue may also function as a guideline for another instrument for improvisation. of ``Who Let the Dogs Out.'' Woof, woof, indeed. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com THE SHAGGY DOG - Two and one half stars (PG: mild, rude humor) Starring: Tim Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Kristin Davis. Director: Brian Robbins Brian Robbins (born as Brian Levine, November 22 1963, Brooklyn, New York) is an American actor and producer. He often collaborates with Mike Tollin. In the 1980s, Robbins portrayed Eric Mardian on the television series Head of the Class. . Running time: 1 hr. 38 min. Playing: In wide release. In a nutshell: Disney's latest update of its family perennial isn't a dog, but it doesn't have many new tricks, either. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Robert Downey Jr., left, heads a firm doing animal experiments, while Tim Allen is an up-and-coming assistant D.A. who becomes a canine in ``The Shaggy Dog.'' |
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