You probably didn't even know that dogs came from outer space. As Good Boy! spells out, they traveled to Earth thousands of years ago from Sirius (the dog star) to colonize and rule the planet. But they and the earthlings got along so well that they decided to forget the ruling part. Now Canid 3942, an extraterrestrial border terrier with the voice of Matthew Broderick, has come to see how things are going. He is understandably horrified when he learns that dogs have become pets.
As children's film premises go, this is a cute one, but the execution is a failure. As Owen, the boy who adopts the terrier from the pound, Liam Aiken does a nice job of conveying adolescent vulnerability and affection. And 3942, whom Owen names Hubble, becomes a character who matters. But overall, the film suffers from a singular lack of imagination. And energy.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
Attempts at humor include the ridicule of pet lovers who talk baby talk to animals; dogs falling asleep while trying to learn meditation; the comparison of canned dogged food to our food; that old standby, flatulence; and breed-specific behavior. When Barbara Ann, a froufrou standard poodle, talks in Delta Burke's voice about how pretty she is, young movie-goers are unlikely to find it any funnier than adults do. Good Boy! reinforces breed stereotypes, and poodles should sue.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
Humans receive more politically sensitive treatment. Owen's best friend is a black girl; one neighborhood dog belongs to two gay men; and when Owen is surprised to learn that the Greater Dane (Vanessa Redgrave), the highest leader on Sirius, is a she, Hubble says, "Of course." (Dogs talk in this movie, but only Owen can understand them.)
The film, which opens today nationwide, does have its moments. Hubble/3942's detailed response to the command "play dead" is impressive. And the children in a preview audience laughed when Shep (Carl Reiner), the Bernese mountain dog, got a Japanese paper lantern stuck on his head.
Molly Shannon and Kevin Nealon, Saturday Night Live alumni, play Owen's parents, who make their living buying, restoring and selling houses. They are unwittingly destroying their son's emotional health by moving constantly, a problem that children can understand. The gentle celebration of human-and-dog relationships, on the other hand, will probably go over a lot of little heads.
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