The President of the USA (Eric Roberts) is excessively fond of his dog, Teddy. With good reason, Teddy is a charmer, even though the secret service men don't like him too much. But, one day when the President is on a visit to another state, Teddy gets out and runs away. No! He ends up on the west coast where foster child Danny finds him. Although Dan's foster mother (Priscilla Barnes) is kind, Danny knows to hide the canine from her. Also, the young lad sees from the dog's tags that he is the property of the President. Up for adventure, Danny decides to cross country and return the dog personally. Hitching rides with nice truckers and not-so-nice hucksters, Danny almost makes it. But, during the last leg, Teddy again sprints away and is captures by the DC dog catchers while Dan is taken to the police station. Will there be a happy hound ending? This is a great film, for the most part. The acting is good, the scenery is lovely, and the direction is active and fun. However, there are a couple of elements that might give parents pause. First, one of the couples that give Danny a ride express violence toward each other, with the wife hitting the husband quite a bit. Ouch. Then, near the end, Danny's juvenile detention place looks incompetent. Finally, Teddy is almost put down, where a doctor raises the deadly needle and where another man sings Dead Dog Walking. Not my idea of tasteful or family-friendly, this is. However, if your family loves animal movies and you have a talk with the kids before hand, this is almost certainly a winner for the next family flick night.
First Dog
(2010)
Would have been a first choice for families but, there are a couple of elements some parents won't like, so....
21 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers