UnowPriceless
hyped garbage
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
ofpsmith
Where to even start with this film. First Dog is a movie that has my opinion stretched. On one hand I liked it because the acting was good and the scenery was nice. On the other hand I didn't like it because it had some really dark elements for a children's film. Well let's look at the plot. The US President named Barrett (Eric Roberts) just narrowly misses an assassination attempt. In the chaos Barrett's dog Teddy runs away and inadvertently ends up with orphan Danny Milbright (John Paul Howard). Danny is a young shy boy who decides the right thing to do is hitch hike across the country to return Teddy to Barrett. Along the way Danny meets a friendly trucker named "Big" Mike (Tommy Lister) and a nasty hick couple. The film has good acting and beautiful scenery so why does it suffer? It has some really disturbing parts that will most likely make parents wish they hadn't shown it to their children. Let me list out some of the disturbing elements. The hick family is absolutely disgusting. These are some dirty people who smoke, hit each other, and curse. You know, for kids! One of them even points a gun at a character. There is also an unnerving scene where Danny is in a Detention Facility. And another unnerving scene where a doctor and Orderly in an animal shelter prepare to put down Teddy. Overall I admire the film for it's ambition but lots of violent scenes were really unnecessary and will upset kids.
vchimpanzee
June Angell is a kind an attractive foster mother to five children in California. One of the kids is mischievous and outgoing and appears likely to be adopted. Another, named Danny, is very shy and won't talk, and at least one couple doesn't want him for just that reason.At an event for which the Secret Service appear to have prepared well, President Robert Woodruff narrowly escapes being shot when he asks his beloved dog Teddy what is upsetting him so much. In the commotion that follows the gunfire, Teddy disappears, but The President refuses to publicize the fact that his dog is missing.In a weird plot twist straight out of the Buddy movies, Teddy finds his way into a truck delivering pet food to a location near where he was last seen. The pet food company is run by Dick Van Patten, who plays himself. And Teddy finds his way to California, giving a nasty surprise to Van Patten and his partner. They thought there was plenty of food in the back, but Teddy was hungry.Teddy somehow ends up being found by Danny, who comes out of his shell. He doesn't notice anything on Teddy's ID except his name, so it takes him a while to investigate. In the meantime, the dog follows him to school and gets him in trouble. There is a simple phone number on the ID, and the person who answers the phone says "White House". Danny is shocked. He asks his foster mom for advice but doesn't go into detail. She says he must do the right thing and return the dog. So Danny calls again, but since he is from California, he is not believed. He asks Miss Angell what to do, and she doesn't believe the dog really belongs to The President.What to do? Well, Danny must do the right thing.Danny is too young to hitch rides with whoever, but he does so anyway. He is very determined to get Teddy back to Washington. But Teddy is not allowed on the bus even though the bus has a picture of a dog on the outside. And so Danny's adventure begins. He ends up in Las Vegas with a bunch of irresponsible teens, gets a private concert from a country-rock band, makes friends with trucker Big Mike, and gets mixed up with a couple of small-time bumbling crooks.And all this time, Danny is on the run from a group of Men in Black. Meanwhile, Miss Angell is concerned.So will Teddy find his way home?This is a good family film. Parts of it are just plain silly, and many plot elements are "only in the movies". They just couldn't happen. But if things did happen the way they should, this movie wouldn't last two hours (with commercials) and it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.There are plenty of laughs and lots of tender moments. And while not all the music is my taste, including the talented Paula Nelson Band, there are lots of good country songs written by Dolly Parton. John-Paul Howard does a good job for a kid. Priscilla Barnes is sweet, loving and attractive, though she shows a few more wrinkles than she did as John Ritter's roommate. And while he doesn't do much, you have to like that one foster kid.Bernie Kopell has a good scene as a psychiatrist who believes Danny is delusional.The standout performance in this movie comes from Tiny Lister. Big Mike is a great character. Not only is he big and tough, but he is a gentle teddy bear and a great friend to Danny, even though he is reluctant to give up his freedom to be alone. Like Danny, he has a past which has led him to a life others might not choose, but one which works for him.Not everything here is warm and fuzzy. Both Danny and Big Mike had something terrible in their past. The teens' behavior gets them in trouble. And the crooks, though bumbling idiots, do represent a genuine threat at times. There is also a serious threat to Teddy, but don't worry.This is a family film, though it may be questionable for younger children, given the occasional violence and some unpleasant concepts. But overall it is wholesome entertainment. As enjoyable as the TV series "Scandal", "Hostages" and "Crisis" have been, it's a pleasure for a change to see a President of the United States who has proper values. And ethics and values are constantly being taught in this movie.This is worth seeing.
Hugo Silva
This is probably one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I know that the intention may be good..they were probably trying to make a somewhat entertaining family movie, but it DID NOT work. A lot of technical aspects as well as poor acting and story brought this movie to its lowest. The actors were not believable at all, the editing and the setting were really bad. There were scenes that made no sense at all throughout the whole movie (small sequences that supposedly should make you emotional I guess). Soundtrack does nothing to help the movie...Anyways, the only reason this is not getting 1/10 is because maybe this movie will be good for 3 year olds who don't know how to talk yet and enjoy a bunch of nonsense emotional stuff with kids..dogs..and caring adults.
SampanMassacre
Eric Roberts plays the type of Hollywood-created dream President that should never have to win a second term. With a lovely wife, a cute dog, and a public stance on Global Warming, who'll dare to run against him? Now back to that FIRST DOG.Teddy, played by Little Bear, is an adorable highly professional Blue Heeler owned and trained by the film's director, Bryan Michael Stoller. Little Bear has the making of a real canine star – each expression is (or seems) heartfelt and personal, especially when, after an assignation attempt at his owner, he gets loose and is found by a melancholy foster child who can't fit in anywhere.Danny, played by newcomer John-Paul Howard, finds a particular solace with the lost mutt. Both feel abandoned, accidentally or otherwise; but thankfully there's a phone number on Teddy's American Flag tag leading to The White House. After a failed attempt to call-in the recovery, Danny and Teddy hitchhike to Washington, making this a bonafide road movie.While some of the characters along the way, from bickering car-crashing teens to a dangerous gun-wielding white trash couple… And situations like our doggy hero almost getting a lethal injection at the pound… might not be suitable for really young children, perhaps a more logical target audience are pre-teens (or near pre-teens) young enough to learn something and not too old to shrug off a boy-and-his-dog tale. And adults can enjoy the suspense, which the director wields nicely.Tiny Lister's working class truck driver is a friendly protagonist on the journey, Eric Robert's wife Eliza is the kindhearted First Lady, and while you may yearn for more input from Teddy as a solo character with more obstacles to overcome alone, like any faithful best friend he's always there, with a soulful glance and even a smile, to make Danny – and his quest for a home and purpose – really matter.For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com
