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It’s atrociously cliched, but it really does seem that the old adage rings true — you can’t teach “Old Dogs” new tricks.
“Old Dogs” was a basic movie with silly slapstick and ridiculous situations. Funny? Yes, as long as you are amused by people falling down, getting attacked by penguins and getting hit in the crotch repeatedly. A revelation in comedy? Not so much.
The movie follows Dan (Robin Williams), a divorced, childless sports marketer who, on a drunken whim, married a woman named Vicki (Kelly Preston). Their marriage is quickly annulled, and Dan and Vicki go on their merry ways — or so Dan thinks. Seven years later, Vicki shows up in New York City with two children, Zach (Conner Rayburn) and Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta), who Dan and Vicki created during their brief marriage. Vicki has to go away for a couple weeks and hands her children over to Dan to watch with the help of his business partner and best friend, Charlie (John Travolta), who also doesn’t have children and is a huge flirt. Of course, alternating wackiness and sentimentality ensues.
I laughed throughout “Old Dogs,” because I was in a silly mood and ready to laugh at the movie’s goofy, predictable jokes. If you’re someone who appreciates the type of humor in “Old Dogs,” it is a top-notch example of the genre. Robin Williams and John Travolta, along with co-star Seth Green as the pair’s overeager subordinate, clearly had a great time tripping over things, falling over, hitting people, making funny faces and generally running around acting like crazy people. Add in some clever little cameos from great actors such as Justin Long, Matt Dillon and the late Bernie Mac, and a bucket of popcorn, and you’ve got a pretty decent, amusing, silly couple of hours at the theater.
Someone with a more discriminating (some might say “snooty”) taste in comedy will be incredibly disappointed with “Old Dogs,” however. Robin Williams is a king in the comedy world, of course, and anybody who has seen the show “Robot Chicken” knows that Seth Green, who writes and directs the show, is incredibly clever. Anything resembling envelope-pushing comedy is nowhere to be found in this movie. Instead, “Old Dogs” relies on some of those old standby sight gags, coupled with a family-friendly plot and talented actors. It’s nothing new and nothing too exciting, but if you’re in the mood for something almost stupidly silly, you could bark up worse trees than “Old Dogs.”
Jenny’s Take: See it before it leaves theaters.
(Rated PG for some mild rude humor. Runs 88 minutes.)
Jenny’s blog is full of new tricks! Check it out at www.fwdailynews.com/jenny.
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