The Shaggy Dog is a 2006 American comedy film by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the second remake of the 1959 film of the same name, which was first remade as a television film in 1994. Both the 1959 and 1994 features, as well as the 1976 theatrical sequel and the 1987 television sequel, had a character named Wilby Daniels transforming into an Old English Sheepdog, whereas this remake presents a character named Dave Douglas transforming into a Bearded Collie.
Plot
Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) is a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County who is prosecuting social studies teacher and activist Justin Forrester (Joshua Leonard) for firebombing the pharmaceutical corporation Grant and Strictland. Forrester denies this, but claims that Grant and Strictland has been engaging in illegal animal experimentation. This distances Douglas from his daughter Carly (Zena Grey), one of Forrester's students.
The greedy geneticists working for Mr. Lance Strictland (Philip Baker Hall), led by Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey, Jr.), have stolen a 300-year-old sacred dog named Khyi Yang Po (a Bearded Collie) from a Tibetan monastery.The scientists determine that Khyi Yang Po's genetic sequence, when isolated and put into a vaccination, invades and alters the cells and DNA of a victim.
When Dave returns from work, he takes the dog out in the garage, then the dog runs to get the newspaper. The dog gives him his newspaper, but as Dave reaches for it, Khyi Yang Po bites him on the hand. The saliva goes into Dave's blood and DNA, infecting him.
In the ongoing trial, Forrester testifies seeing the animals behaving like dogs, which sparks Dave's suspicions about Grant and Strictland. When his dog-like behavior annoys the judge, Dave is removed from the case. Hidden in the laboratory, Dave witnesses Dr. Kozak injecting company president Lance Strictland (Philip Baker Hall) with a drug that will paralyze him for several months, giving Kozak enough time to usurp control of the company. After viewing security cameras, Kozak and his minions realize that somehow Dave became an exact copy of Khyi Yang Po.
When Dave comes home, still in his canine form, he overhears a conversation between Carly and Josh that he and Rebecca may be splitting up. After hearing this, Dave then knocks over a Scrabble game and uses the letters to reveal and clarify all the past events to them. But when Dave gets out of the house, he is captured by Kozak's minions.
Dave is taken to the lab to be euthanized, but Kozak has a court summons, and must deal with Dave later. Right before he exits, Kozak mocks Dave in canine form and is bitten in the process. He then begins to exhibit the same issues Dave had at the beginning of his adventure; Dave had successfully transferred the gene sequence into Kozak.
In the courtroom, Dave calls Kozak back to the stand and tries to get him to admit what he has done, but Kozak manages to hide his secret. Thinking quickly, he mocks Kozak by implying he was working under Strictland's shadow, and angers him. The two begin growling at each another, and the judge, exasperated by Dave's canine behavior, orders the bailiff to remove him. Kozak is now arrested. The pharmaceutical company is returned to Strictland, the mutant animals are protected, and Dave is able to spend more time with his family. The movie ends with the family vacationing in Hawaii, where Khyi Yang Po is seen surfing. Dave's canine habits slightly remain, as he catches a Frisbee with his teeth in the closing scene.
Cast
- Tim Allen as David "Dave" Douglas
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Dr. Kozak
- Kristin Davis as Rebecca Douglas
- Danny Glover as Kenny "Ken" Hollister
- Philip Baker Hall as Dr. Lance Strictland
- Adam Hicks as Quarterback
- Zena Grey as Carly Douglas
- Spencer Breslin as Joshua "Josh" Douglas
- Bess Wohl as Gwen Lichtman
- Jarrad Paul as Larry
- Jane Curtin as Judge Claire Whittaker
- Rhea Seehorn as Lori
- Shawn Pyfrom as Trey
- Cole as the Shaggy Dog
- Martin Sru as Bin Bag
- Joel Moore as Dog Pound Employee
- Kaine Bennett Charleston as Game Parent
- Crystal the Monkey as the Monkey
- Jane Hajduk as the News Reporter
Release
The film was released in the United States on March 10, 2006. To tie-in with the theatrical release of the 2006 remake, the original 1959 movie was re-issued in the USA as a special DVD labeled "The Wild & Woolly Edition," which featured the movie in two forms: one in the original black and white, the other a colorized version. The colorized version however is not restored and suffers from age. In the UK, however, the 1959 movie has only ever been made available on DVD in black and white.
Reception
The Shaggy Dog received mixed to negative reviews from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 26%, based on 104 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This Disney retread has neither inspiration nor originality, but may please moviegoers under the age of ten." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 43 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
BBC called Allen uninteresting and said he "only stops short of leg-humping in his attempts to win our affections". The film was on Richard Roeper's Worst films of 2006 list. Roger Ebert gave it 2 stars out of 4.
Despite poor reviews, the film proved to be a modest commercial success, grossing over $87 million worldwide against its $50 million budget. The film earned three Razzie Award nominations including Worst Actor for Tim Allen, Worst Remake or Ripoff and Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment, but failed to "win" any of those categories.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to The Shaggy Dog was released on March 14, 2006.
See also
- The Shaggy Dog, the original 1959 theatrical film
- The Shaggy D.A., the 1976 theatrical sequel
- The Return of the Shaggy Dog, the 1987 television sequel
- The Shaggy Dog, the 1994 television movie and the first remake of the 1959 film
- Felix Salten, the author of The Hound of Florence, the source material for the 1959 film
References
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (March 10, 2006). "A New Dog Learns Some New Tricks". The New York Times.Â
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/shaggy_dog/?search=the shaggy d
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-shaggy-dog
- ^ The Shaggy Dog (2006)
- ^ Box Office Mojo
- ^ 27th Annual RAZZIE® Award Nominees
- ^ 27th Annual RAZZIE® Award Winners
- ^ The Shaggy Dog Soundtrack AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2014
External links
- Official website
- The Shaggy Dog at the Internet Movie Database
- The Shaggy Dog at AllMovie
- The Shaggy Dog at Box Office Mojo
- The Shaggy Dog at Rotten Tomatoes