Barnes & Noble

Just as impersonating a woman makes Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) a better man in Tootsie, so does being transformed into a dog make Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) a better father and husband in The Shaggy Dog. This in-name-only remake of the 1959 Walt Disney comedy, the studio’s first of the live-action variety, casts Allen as a hard-driving deputy district attorney who constantly disappoints his family with broken promises as he advances his career. When an ancient bearded collie bites him, though, he gets a new "leash" on life. In the film's best scenes, Dave cannot repress his inner canine. He lifts his leg in a public restaurant. He growls at opposing counsel in court. He laps up his cereal. And when the belt on his robe comes loose, it's like he's chasing his tail. Finally, when his transformation is complete, Dave is able to see from a new perspective how he has become estranged from his family. His wife (Kristin Davis) feels neglected. His son (Spencer Breslin) feels pressure to try out for football even though he'd prefer to audition for the school’s production of Grease. On the plus side, Dave is able to break up any shenanigans between his daughter and her boyfriend by jumping between the two. The Shaggy Dog throws a bone to adults in the audience with a pedigree supporting cast that includes Jane Curtin as a confounded judge, Danny Glover as Dave's increasingly concerned boss, Philip Baker Hall as a nefarious laboratory owner, and Craig Kilborn as an insufferable neighbor. Best of all, Robert Downey Jr. delivers a howlingly funny turn as a dog-napping mad scientist trying to harvest the collie’s longevity secrets. Among this remake's new tricks is state-of-the-art CGI that conjures up all manner of mutant creatures back at the lab and turns Allen, whose former stand-up persona once proclaimed that all men are pigs, into a convincing pooch. You will believe a man can fetch! Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

An unexpected transformation helps a workaholic attorney learn that there's more to life than the courtroom in this remake of the 1959 Disney canine classic of the same name. Deputy District Attorney Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) takes his job in the halls of justice very seriously -- so seriously in fact that his wife and family see considerably less of their frequently-absent husband and father than they would prefer. When a case involving an animal laboratory finds the distracted dad once again taking an extended leave of absence from his frustrated family, Douglas' luck takes a turn for the worst after he is inadvertently infected by a top-secret genetic-mutation serum that transforms the two-legged lawyer into a four-legged sheepdog. Though his current situation has its drawbacks to be sure, the fly-on-the-wall perspective afforded to Douglas in his newfound state alerts the well-intending father and husband that all is not well on the home front. Moved by the unfulfilled needs of his neglected family and determined to become a better father if he can only shed his winter coat, Douglas' unique new vantage point could offer just the motivation needed to bring the nefarious forces behind the serum to justice and win back his wife and kids once and for all. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 786936709940
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Language: English, Français, Español, Français
• Subtitles: Español
• Time: 1:39:00
• Sales Rank: 14,131

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