Old Dogs (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
Charlie & Dan (John Travolta, Robin Williams) are a pair of old pals in ... 'Old Dogs', directed by Walt Becker. Dan is a mopey divorcee. Charlie is a fun-loving bachelor. They've been in business together for some 30 yrs., and now, on the eve of signing a big contract with an influential Japanese firm, Dan discovers that a one-night fling 7 yrs. ago with Vicki (Kelly Preston) resulted in the birth of fraternal twins Emily & Zach (Ella Bleu Travolta, Conner Rayburn). Vicki is scheduled to spend 2 weeks in jail on a civil disobedience charge, so, she asks Dan to take care of (his) kids! This is where the main plot kicks in.
Dan & Charlie's lives are turned upside down as they are forced to act as parents for the duration; where misadventure after misadventure befalls them (camping-gone-wrong, bears, excrement, dog pee, farting incidents, misuse of pills (ha, very funny), golf ball injuries, & gorillas) ... too many debacles to specify. You name the crude, crass happenings, and they were in this movie. Some of these situations played out in a mildly humorous manner. But most of them basically stunk.
I suppose that a theme of this movie is: to try & find a new understanding of what's important in life (prioritizing business with family, etc.). Yadayada, this is truly just a mild, goofy romp of a movie that fails to leave any true comedic impression. A lot of the humor is geared towards children; and I mean, under 10 yr. olds. What adult wants to see that? And as for the 14 yr. olds - like my sister, Nicole - even she could figure out the simple plot points, the predictability of it all, & the humor. Granted, she laughed a lot; glad she enjoyed herself. I was less enthused, to say the least.
Robin Williams used to be so funny. I mean, he still is. But none of his abilities were put to good use in this script. He actually doesn't even try, though, to rise above it, either. I've been preferring Williams, as of late, in more serious roles (where he can channel the manic energy that used to be used well for comedy). And John Travolta tries to overcompensate (for the poor script) with over-the-top goofiness; like ... more than he usually does. I suppose I commend his effort. And the supporting performers (a gaggle of Hollywood & television has-beens) lend very little to the proceedings.
The most interesting aspect of 'Old Dogs' has NOTHING to do with the movie itself. Filmed quite a while ago, it includes performances from the entire Travolta family, sans Jett. That's not because he had already tragically passed away; though ... he WAS still alive at the time. And Bernie Mac makes an appearance in the film, as well (someone else who has since passed away). It's weird. Overall, 'Old Dogs' just misses the mark too many times. There's no piercing wit. The 'comedy' is way too forced. Various moments are actually shrill to listen to. But I'm glad I had my sister sitting next to me during the film. Not only did she wake me up whenever I drifted off, but she actually made me laugh by listening to her infectious laughter. I sorta enjoyed it - through her.
Dan & Charlie's lives are turned upside down as they are forced to act as parents for the duration; where misadventure after misadventure befalls them (camping-gone-wrong, bears, excrement, dog pee, farting incidents, misuse of pills (ha, very funny), golf ball injuries, & gorillas) ... too many debacles to specify. You name the crude, crass happenings, and they were in this movie. Some of these situations played out in a mildly humorous manner. But most of them basically stunk.
I suppose that a theme of this movie is: to try & find a new understanding of what's important in life (prioritizing business with family, etc.). Yadayada, this is truly just a mild, goofy romp of a movie that fails to leave any true comedic impression. A lot of the humor is geared towards children; and I mean, under 10 yr. olds. What adult wants to see that? And as for the 14 yr. olds - like my sister, Nicole - even she could figure out the simple plot points, the predictability of it all, & the humor. Granted, she laughed a lot; glad she enjoyed herself. I was less enthused, to say the least.
Robin Williams used to be so funny. I mean, he still is. But none of his abilities were put to good use in this script. He actually doesn't even try, though, to rise above it, either. I've been preferring Williams, as of late, in more serious roles (where he can channel the manic energy that used to be used well for comedy). And John Travolta tries to overcompensate (for the poor script) with over-the-top goofiness; like ... more than he usually does. I suppose I commend his effort. And the supporting performers (a gaggle of Hollywood & television has-beens) lend very little to the proceedings.
The most interesting aspect of 'Old Dogs' has NOTHING to do with the movie itself. Filmed quite a while ago, it includes performances from the entire Travolta family, sans Jett. That's not because he had already tragically passed away; though ... he WAS still alive at the time. And Bernie Mac makes an appearance in the film, as well (someone else who has since passed away). It's weird. Overall, 'Old Dogs' just misses the mark too many times. There's no piercing wit. The 'comedy' is way too forced. Various moments are actually shrill to listen to. But I'm glad I had my sister sitting next to me during the film. Not only did she wake me up whenever I drifted off, but she actually made me laugh by listening to her infectious laughter. I sorta enjoyed it - through her.