Cool Dog (2010 Video) User Reviews

A new Lassie to hit the shelves?

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 2 January 2011]

This movie is definitely intended for the children and young audience. I am sure that children of all ages will love the dog in the movie. To me, it seemed like a 2010 version to reinvent "Lassie", just with a new name and a new breed of dog.

The story is fairly easy to follow, though I found it to be over the top in the level of sassy and stupidity. But of course, I looked at it with adult eyes, not the eyes of a child. For children, I am sure that the things that happen in the movie will be fun, and that the children will totally buy into all the things that this dog apparently is capable of doing.

Everything in this movie was so stereotypical. You have a small town family moving to the big city (New York, in this case), and of course life in small towns is apparently all idyllic and cozy, while life in the big city is stressful, lacking color and luster, and just a constant buzz of activity. Then you have the wicked stepmother. And Christa Campbell was doing such a horrible work portraying that role. Normally she is alright in movies, but this? Wow... Anyway, moving on, the small town boy is being bullied by the kids in the new school, again something stereotypical. And the landlords of their building, wow, that was an insult to landlords, New Yorkers and people everywhere. The stereotypical lists doesn't end here, but I will cut it short.

The dog was actually lovable and it had been trained well, because it performed well in the movie and the many various scenes it was doing.

For families with children and for kids of all ages, the movie "Cool Dog" would be worth sitting down together and watch, because it is a heartwarming story and a likable one at that. But as an adult, this movie was just too far out there. I remember watching "Lassie" when I was a kid, so I think "Cool Dog" is a good attempt at bringing the spirit of "Lassie" back in the way of an up-to-date story and have a new dog star as the 'hero'.

"He's a heck of a dog. He's a hero!"

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 1 September 2016]

Honestly now, is there a movie out there that has more unappealing actors in it than appear in "Cool Dog"? I come at this from having watched Tod Browning's "Freaks" more than once in my lifetime and that film actually has more engaging characters. What's with the Mom (Christa Campbell) in this story? Was she supposed to be a mean spirited stepmother to Jimmy (Jackson Pace) on purpose, or am I just being too sensitive? Not to be outdone of course by characters like Muriel and Reuben, the landlords from hell, Big Game Gostavo and all the other weirdos that populated this film. Even the kid Jimmy didn't seem all that appealing to me, but gee, did they have to pack him in a wooden crate to ship off to Mexico? Who thought that was a good idea?

So here's the thing - my seven year old granddaughter laughed herself silly watching this flick, so there's something to be said for bad films that offer young kids a good time. The message of perseverance on the part of Rainy the German Shepherd is a good one, reinforced by young Jimmy's loyalty to the family pet who he never gives up on. Those are good values to expose one's kids to, so if you have to suck it up for an hour and a half to watch along, it's better than having them turn out to be juvenile delinquents.

The talent here

[cobra-16757 · 3/10 · 21 June 2019]

The only talent here is the dog and the kid. The rest of the cast go through the motions, but not convincingly.

Worst acting ever! But makes it a funny movie to watch.

[idorman · 2/10 · 20 April 2011]

My 12 year old daughter and I had a great time watching this movie together, not because it was a great movie, but because the acting was horrible! The "special effects" of the dog crying was one of our favorite parts of the movie. Another part that was really funny was when the boy's dad slides down the pole. Quality entertainment!

Christna Cambell the "actress" who plays the mean stepmother was the worst and as a result the funniest part of the movie. The boys father is the second worst actor although it was a close call.

I cannot believe these people were actually hired to act! I recommend watching it just for the purpose of laughing at its ridiculous acting!

Honestly, this might be the worst family film I have ever seen!

[TOMNEL · 1/10 · 29 January 2011]

This is a horrible, horrible movie. Every agonizing second is so unbearably corny, contrived, and clichéd. The acting, the writing, the editing, the directing...everything here was the worst it could possibly be. This is not an exaggeration...this film (if you want to call it that) is just as bad as any other kid's film you're likely to see.

Jimmy's dad just got a new job, and poor little Jimmy isn't allowed to bring his hero dog Rainey. So Jimmy, his dad, and his mean step-mother move from a small town in Illinois to New York city, meanwhile leaving the dog behind. Jimmy's new apartment is run by a couple of creepy and seemingly evil landlords who hate dogs and children. Meanwhile, Rainey escapes from the state fair where he was left back in Illinois and basically hitchhikes all the way to New York. Rainey makes it to Jimmy in New York somehow, and those mean landlords find out about it. Turns out the landlords are illegally selling animals on the side, and this dog is messing up their style. Ridiculous chaos ensues.

The actors here must've learned their technique from elementary school plays. Jen Kober and David Jensen play the two landlords, coming off as second rate Home Alone villain rejects. Kober seems to be channeling Rosie O'Donnell for her overall appearance and voice, but even Rosie would look brilliant compared to this woman. The main kid here is awful, the dad is awful, as is the step-mom. Sadly, the dog probably gave the best performance, and even the dog isn't that great.

Try to dumb yourself down for the next few paragraphs to try and understand the hilarity of the jokes. Uh oh, the dog is stuck at the county fair with the new mean owner. But whoaho, the guy falls over and the dog escapes. The gate closes and the guy has to climb over the five foot fence to get out. Derher, he fell down and we get a hilarious cartoon sound effect. Always classic. And then a bull farts on him...funny stuff. And then the dog, instead of running away, plays hide and seek, knocking over bales of hay on this guy, and being goofy. Then a cow burps...ahahaha, you can't write this stuff. Several fart and burp jokes are featured in the film, each one more clever than the last.

The dog in this movie is funny. Not only does he save a girls life, he stops purse snatchers, shoots tennis balls at some punk kids, attacks some New York thugs, covers his eyes during scary movies, plays checkers (and wins), plays guitar, plays piano, orders hot dogs and pays the hot dog vendor with the dog holding the money in it's paw, finds his way to New York city and plays hide and seek Home Alone style pranks on several different villains at various occasions. When he attacks the NY thug, the guy runs off yelling "Mommy!". When he attacks the punk kid, the kid begs the dog for forgiveness. (Makes sense?) When he plays hide and seek with the idiot bad guys, they run into each other and fall over and trip all over the place. This is the type of humor this movie features mainly. Idiots acting like idiots, with not an ounce of cleverness or freshness, to try to get four year olds at home to giggle.

Brain damage can occur three to four minutes after not breathing...but at the end of the film the dog must've been "dead" for at least five. And then he comes back alive for no reason. I'd almost give this movie a point for having the guts to kill of the dog and keep a little bit of realism, but nope, dog's alive, just apparently been playing dead for a few minutes to "build" the "dramatic tension". Just one of about fifty scenes that featured an element that made no sense, could never happen, and was completely ridiculous.

The editor of this thing sucks big time. The film here is constantly being slowed down, which always looks horrible when it's not shot in slow motion, and everything just looks sloppy. And the sound editing sucks too. Animals making noises that the animals clearly aren't making, and people saying lines that are clearly stuck in afterward. The editing is about on par with everything else in the film, so at least it isn't letting us down in comparison.

It's hard to even write a review explaining why this was so bad, because absolutely nothing worked here at all. There was not one moment that wasn't cringe worthy, except for a few establishing shots (the brief reprieve from the rest of this mess). The character motivations don't make sense and this is just a big sloppy mess of a kiddie movie. Do not let your children watch this filth. It'll lower their IQ.

My rating: BOMB out of ****. 88 mins. PG for brief mild language, and stupidity throughout.

Worst Acting Job EVER - but my 6 yr. old enjoyed it

[leslietansey · 4 July 2011]

This movie had some good qualities that could have been enjoyed by families in the 1970s or 1980s (which is the era that it looked like it was filmed, after all who dresses like that now or wears their hair like that?). However with that said, I do agree with the other reviews that the acting was deplorable!!! Honestly, why even make a movie when the acting was that bad??? Thankfully, we rented it at Redbox and only spent $1.00.

In summary, the plot was predictable, the acting was bad, the corniness of the entire movie was ridiculous. The worst part was they made it look like the dog did all sorts of things. Other than that, the dog probably would have received my vote for best actor in the film.

Trust me adults, if you want to rent this movie for your child...just leave the room while it is on.

Tears of Post Trauma

[xxxxxx68 · 2/10 · 20 June 2011]

I feel guilty for saying this movie is so unusually indescribably intellectually deficient due in part that my four year old so forcefully compelled us to watch in horror. It is like the worst 10 hours I ever spent dreaming within a dream of what happens in torture chambers. This is a must see for children that like it by themselves. I love my child. There were moments that reminded me of more entertaining movies like Elmo in Grouch Land that has something for everyone at least once. One thing I can say is that it gets right down to the action and my 4 year old went to the bathroom only once which in itself was a blessing and a curse. I heartily recommend Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Ice Age, Ratatouille, Beauty and the Beast and anything from the Jim Henson Company. I imagine that Ned Flanders would approve. Maybe, "I'm not thinking straight, why did I have that wine cooler last month?"

Actually painful to watch. One of the worst movies I have ever seen.

[benjaminkulish · 1/10 · 4 May 2015]

I would vote 0 if that were possible. As we were watching this movie in our car, my 12 year old son predicted nearly every single event possible. The movie is so cheesy, we actually threw it out the window as soon as it was over. Every single event in the movie was horribly predictable. Half of the "plot twists" were completely unnecessary and came out of nowhere. Random things just "happened" and led to nothing. Overall i felt like i should gouge my own eyes out. Don't show this to your children; it can only traumatize, not entertain them. Even remembering this movie is literally painful. It is difficult to imagine the sheer stupidity and ridiculousness of the movie. The director should be hanged, and the actors all put out on the street. Whoever wrote the movie should get a life sentence in prison and be forced to watch this very movie on an endless loop. I am rambling, that is true; but one only has to watch this movie ONCE, and not even go all the way through to know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

The worst movie I have ever seen.

[charlestontracy · 1/10 · 26 February 2012]

Cool Dog is the worst movie I have ever seen. EVER. My daughter chose the movie which of course came from the wonderful collection provided by netflix. I knew within the first 5 seconds this movie was a low budget piece of junk. How do movies like this even get made??? My sympathy goes out to the dog more than anyone else; because unlike the humans the dog actually didn't have a choice in starring in this horrible, senseless, pointless, painful-to-watch movie. I have forbidden my daughter from watching this movie ever again as I feel that movies like these act as drugs and decrease normal brain development.

If it was possible my vote would be 0 out of 10.

Lot's of tears from 8 year old son

[mkpotter · 4/10 · 30 June 2012]

SPOILER ALERT!! This review contains spoilers. While this movie did entertain my son with it's very campy "bad guys", there are two very sad parts in this movie. About a quarter of the way in you discover not only is the family moving to New York and having to leave Jimmy's beloved dog Rainy behind, Jimmy's Mom is deceased. My son, who very rarely cries at movies started balling at this point. I will say he is very sensitive to the loss of parents, as the only other time I've seen him cry at a movie was during Kung Foo (sp?) Panda 2 when you discover how the main character's parents die. The second time my son fell apart with sadness was near the end when it appears Rainy is dead. An EMT checks his heart and shakes his head that Rainy is dead. I believed it as well and thought 'How cruel to do that to young viewers.' Alas, Rainy either comes back to life or the EMT is an idiot, but Rainy lives! We watched the movie last night on TV and my son is still talking about how much he hated this movie. The silliness of the movie and the heroism Rainy displays to protect others from bad people was extremely entertaining for my son, but it was ruined with the heartbreak that accompanies it. While my son hated it, if you child is not as affected by the death of a parent, he/she may really enjoy this movie. You, as an adult, not so much. The storyline is thin and full of silliness.

Potentially the worst piece of film to ever scrape the film industry

[we-like-dirt · 1/10 · 19 April 2015]

This film is probably the worst piece of cinema ever to walk among the earth freely, or at all. The acting is atrocious and is less than laughable, the jokes were woeful and the story in general was ridiculous, however there were also many small plot holes I feel need to be addressed.

To begin, a whole lot of things the stupid dog in this film does, examples include, winking, turning off alarms, driving, playing checkers, wearing headphones (not over his hears), using a TV remote, shielding his eyes from the TV, and sitting at the dinner table with the family. To name a few.

Also, somehow this little girl in the beginning of the film manages to fall OVER a rail, onto a bridge plank, HOW!? How is she that stupid?

Also, the film managed to hit the climax in the first 20 minutes, where they played a sad song over a boy loosing his dog. WHY!? Why would anyone do this? This would mean that the rest of the film is just a dog finding his owner, which it is.

Also, in terms of story, many small holes I feel need to be addressed, including, the opening sequence, where Rainy (the dog) walks down the street and everyone seems to know who he is, this in itself is stupid, as for some reason every person in the town seems to know the dog. Why? Why do so many people care about this one German Sheppard and like it so much?

Also, some horrible direction I noticed during the film, including when the family tells Jimmy they are moving to NYC (which was filmed in Louisiana and looks nothing like NYC) and the child is sad for about ten seconds, then moves on to not caring immediately, I mean, this is hard to believe on the audience's part, I feel like the film's director could have just told the child to just pretend to be a little upset for the rest of the scene at least. Also, in the same scene, when the child is told he can't bring the dog to NYC, it is the most expected bad news I have seen from any actor. One more take would have been a good idea on that one.

Also, a major hole in the story is that the entire film, the step mother, and Jimmy's father said that they are looking for a place that allows pets in New York, so why can't Jimmy just deal without the stupid dog for a couple of weeks?

Also, the fact that there was no real character introduction, they basically jumped directly into the film's story, making it so that no one actually cares about the characters anyway, therefore making the film extremely difficult for any viewer to care about at all.

Finally the last thing I need to point out, is a major mistake from the editor and director in the opening credits, the credits read "A David Lerner movie" WHY!? Would a professional call his own FILM a movie, credit sequences are supposed to use proper language not "movie", that is simply a massive no-no in the eyes of directors, yet he let it happen anyway.

To conclude, Cool Dog is probably the worst thing to exist in my opinion, as it is ridiculously far fetched contains awful jokes about stupid things, was directed awfully, and contains so many story holes with some of the worst acting I have ever seen, and may hold the title for worst acting ever.

It is astonishing how this film ever got released at all.

Forget Everything You've Ever Seen in a Kids' Movie Until Now

[pmcguired · 10/10 · 18 February 2011]

Wow! It's all I can say. My family and I sat down to watch this movie on Pay-Per-View with low expectations and 90 minutes later we looked at each other in stunned but ecstatic silence.

Pixar is dead. Long live "Cool Dog"!

Forget "Toy Story Three's" clumsy existential platitudes. Forget "Up's" amateurish attempt at depicting the essence of life. Forget "WALL-E's" trite and downright mean spirited imagining of man's future travails...

There is a new player at the table and he is "Cool Dog".

This is the movie that all generations have been yearning for since cinema began. And at its core is a plot that skewers the ups and downs of modern life so perfectly, so simply- that it should be used as template for mankind's evolution for the rest of the 21st Century.

Marvel at the thespian master class on show as your feelings ricochet from sheer bliss to the deepest angst- following a twisting pathway of emotions that leads, ultimately, to enlightenment.

Michael Pare's acting is UNSURPASSED in modern cinema- surely directors such as P T Anderson, the Coens and indeed Scorsese must soon be knocking at his door (although I can tell you- Hollywood need look no further for their Eisenstein than director Danny Lerner, the man at the helm of this masterwork).

When Pare watches his son going to his new school in New York City for the first time, the unspoken angst that shudders his broad shoulders caused my wife a near aneurysm.

Please, I beg you, fellow IMDBers, movie lovers everywhere- exalt this film to the masses, to peoples from all walks life, so that they can experience THE PERFECT MOVIE.

Bravo.

Great for kids bad for adults

[watchtiger1 · 6/10 · 14 January 2011]

I gave it 6 out of 10 for kids, Adults a -3 out of 10 Kids will like this movie ages 5 to 9 years old. Adults will suffer through it.

OK, if you are a kid, this movie is a blast and enjoyable. If you are an adult this movie is bad, bad acting, bad continuity. In that of its self the movie is fun to watch for the things that can go wrong.

The movie starts out in a small town in Louisiana then do to a new job the family must move to New York city.

The dog throughout the movie is a "wonder dog", he can do anything. I wont say what so the kids and adults can find this out for themselves I wouldn't want to ruin the movie.

For some reason only one person has any type of accent in the movie. No one from Louisiana or New York has one. Even the "rap" song at the end is badly done with again no sign of an accent though "Manhattan" is supposed to be twisted that way.

"Jimmy" the owner of Rainey (the German Shepard) is bullied at his new school, none of these kids have a New York accent. One of the boys is obviously older and taller but later in the movie he is in the same class as Jimmy with no explanation given.

All in all this is a good movie for kids to watch on a day they are stuck in the house.

One review stated this was a "New version of Lassie", I would disagree, with Lassie she would bark and children and adults would magically discern what Lassie was trying to convey. While Rainey barks, he doesn't try and convey anything by it. Only through his actions can one find out what he is trying to show you.

If I were going to watch this with kids I would tell them to try and spot the mistakes in the movie (not what a dog couldn't really do but for example the magic green bucket full of fish, there and not there and there again).

Nice family movie.

Terrible

[sleeplessinseattle11 · 1/10 · 12 July 2012]

I agree that the acting is terrible, but I watched it just because the story is good. I don't want to add any "spoilers" so will just say that it's difficult to stomach some of the bad acting, and the gross parts are really not necessary... guess they were trying to be funny. It didn't work, but a good story idea anyway.

On the other hand, if I had kids, I probably would add this to my collection of family-type movies. I love stories with dogs in particular, and I fell in love with Rainy for sure. So I imagine I would recommend this movie to someone who loves dogs, but I would always warn them that the acting isn't too great. It certainly doesn't do justice to the actors, some of whom I've seen in other movies or TV shows, so maybe it's the fault of the director rather than the actors.

What a Cool Dog.

[SgtPluck · 19 July 2011]

Cool Dog - a triumph of the Nietzchean superman over New York's social inequalities that celebrates rural life in the Deep South yet nevertheless asks the viewer some PRETTY TROUBLING post-colonial questions.

I did come out of this film in awe of just how cool the dog was. He's even cooler than other prominent dogs, such as Snoopy, the Hound Of The Baskervilles, Ghost Dog, and Snoop Doggy Dogg. In addition to this, this film has inspired me in life, and I am currently working on a screenplay of my own. I'm working on a screenplay called "Uncool Dog", in which a dog does things that dogs typically do.It's 90 minutes of a dog scratching himself,urinating on the ground,lying down,jumping on people, sleeping heavily, being taken for walks and scaring sheep. Whilst this is a key work for the 21st century, I do still think we must bear in mind that it does raise some pretty troubling questions about the nature of cool, and may not be suitable for small children.

So bad we relished nearly every moment...

[RaeC18 · 10/10 · 1 February 2020]

Watched this on Family movie night on Stan, had been in our watch list for a while. So embarassing and cringey at some moments I could barely watch the screen, so many ridiculous, dreadful dialogues we were chuckling. Actors so enthusiastic they may as well have been reciting the dictionary. Our 6 year old thoroughly enjoyed himself and gave some genuine belly laughs at the ridiculous, over the top dog scenes. Actually thoroughly enjoyed watching for the continuity errors, guessing the next predictable scene and laughing out loud at the total awfulness of this one! Rating a 10/10 because we still had fun watching it.. but for all the wrong reasons.

Very Cute

[bleenoel · 7/10 · 29 November 2021]

It's the kind of movie I like to watch before bed cuz It's light and amusing. A bit over the top and some of the dog tricks too much. Why is it so hard to find the actual dog actor's name, It was an amazing animal and should get top credit in my opinion?

Just how bad can they get???

[jsc0205 · 9 August 2011]

The acting is awful, the plot is predictable. And excuse me, but when did Louisiana get mountains? The ONLY so called mountain in Louisiana is actually a summit called Driskill Mountain that is in reality a tall hill. Then there is the small fact that NO ONE even sounded like they were from Louisiana! I tried to figure out just what Parish of Louisiana they were trying to portray but as none of the main characters sounded southern and there was that mountain in the background it was impossible. The only person that even tried to sound southern was Kent Jude Bernard and he just had a very small part. Even my grandchildren got bored with this movie! Now maybe, and I mean just maybe, this movie would be good if you were having a bout of insomnia and needed something to put you to sleep. Most likely though it would just annoy you to the point of not being able to sleep so forget that idea! Just don't even bother with it is my advise.

What a Cool Dog!

[lfh-84912 · 10/10 · 21 May 2022]

I enjoyed this movie SO MUCH!!! It's so funny! I wish I was alive to see this funny motion picture in theaters!! Oh, and my family enjoyed it too. The Dog in this movie is so smart!!! I can't believe people hate this.

Fun low budget dog movie

[ragamuffin777 · 7/10 · 25 October 2021]

It's a really low budget movie but if you like dog movies especially German shepherds then it's fun One question Why didn't they credit the German Shepard?

dog that drives, plays checkers and eats licorice what more could you ask for.

[kcha29 · 10/10 · 24 April 2013]

I totally relate to this film as I have a German Shepherd. The tricks and skills Rainy the dog completes makes the movie amazing. His charm, spy and intelligent skills is all you need to thoroughly enjoy this movie.

My favourite scene is hard to pick, but it was pretty impressive when Rainy purchased a hot dog with money. Watching the dog play banjo with the homeless was also a high point. I still can't believe how talented this one dog is, blows my mind how smart he is, would have taken years to train him!!

I would have liked to see the step mothers eye brows move a little more, at times it was hard to see she contained any emotion.

Overall it's the citizen kane of canines!! 10/10 great to watch with family, alone or if you have friends.

god damn that movie is so good

[turtlez-51766 · 10/10 · 31 October 2020]

I made an account just to review Cool Dog (2010), and it is the best movie to watch with friends, especially in the pandemic.

Ultra cool, families will love it, despite a few over the top moments

[inkblot11 · 8/10 · 28 December 2012]

Jimmy (Jason Pace) lives in Eagle Rock Louisiana and loves it. His best pal in the whole world is his very "cool" dog, Raney, a German Shepherd. In truth, Raney is quite a canine! He rescues a little girl before she falls off of a bridge and he can run down no-goodniks, too, and hold them until the police arrive. The boy and the dog are even closer because Jimmy's biological mother is deceased and his stepmother can be difficult. But, oh no! Terrible news arrives for Jimmy. His father has been given a big promotion at work and the household is moving to an apartment in NYC, where no pets are allowed. Jimmy is beyond sad when his father tells him they must leave Raney behind at a small wildlife park, until they can find a different apartment. Nevertheless, there is no other option. The family moves to Manhattan, where their new landlords are a domineering woman and her hen-pecked husband. They don't even want a child in their building. Jimmy also has trouble with a big bully at his new school. Meanwhile, back in Louisiana, the park ranger doesn't take very good care of Raney. Being cool and smart, too, Raney runs out of an open gate, hops a train with some fellow tramps and lands in the Big Apple. Jimmy is beside himself with joy but tries to hide the dog from everyone, in a building basement. But, in that basement, are some nefarious activities, as Jimmy and Raney soon discover. Now, they are committed to bringing the law-breakers to justice! Can they do it? Well, cool is cool, after all! This was a fun flick that families will love. Yes, there are many implausible elements, for Raney can play the piano and win at checkers. Also, many of the characters, especially the landlords, are larger than life, for certain. But, overall, there is so much physical humor and hijinks that kids will laugh and laugh. Although there are no well-known actors, except possibly Michael Pare, the ones in the film give it their all. Also, the scenery, photography and special effects are fine, too. One word of caution is in order. The landlord's wife does slap her husband a couple of times, totally uncalled for, while there are a couple of other incidents of mild violence when none is needed. However, parents and kids can discuss this if necessary. This viewer still feels the movie is an outright winner. Therefore, Cool rules so snatch the flick from the shelf or the order list.

This cool dog left me cold!

[Wizard-8 · 3 December 2014]

Although B movie actor Michael Paré is in this movie, and a bigger name than anyone else in the cast, his name is not printed on the front cover of the DVD box along with the three cast members names that are printed on the front cover. I strongly suspect Paré saw the finished product before its release, and was so horrified that he demanded that his involvement with the movie be minimized. Which I can understand, because even for a kids film, "Cool Dog" is a real dog. Some previous user comments have already mentioned the bad and broad acting, so I won't get into that. What I will say is how predictable and ridiculous the movie is. The various plot turns you will have seen in countless movies before. And the title dog's intelligence is so high that it's ludicrous - this dog can (among other things) play checkers, play the harmonica, and even drive a car! There's plenty of attempts at humor (mostly slapstick), but they are so broad and lame that I think even kids will find it more dumb than funny. I will end this review with some advice for the filmmakers: Louisiana is not a convincing substitute for New York City!