My Dog Skip

Rating:
Summary: A Great Dog's Tale
Review: This movie will make you laugh as much as it will make you cry. Frankie Muniz (as Willie Morris) does an incredible job as a 9 year old boy longing for a friend during one particular hot summer in the midst of World War II. A loving mother played by Diane Lane. An over protective father played by Kevin Bacon. And a local high school sports hero named Dink Jenkins, played by Luke Wilson. Praise also to Harry Connick, Jr for his subtle narration; and Enzo ("Skip" the dog). Behind the father's back, Willie's mother buys Skip and gives the dog to him on his birthday. The father quickly takes him away - telling Willie he's not ready for a dog. Luckily the mother talks the father into letting the boy keep the dog... and the rest is history. Skip helps Willie thru some tough times... meeting girls, befriending the tougher kids from school, keeping Willie company one night in the grave yard, walking back and forth to all his little league baseball games, etc. This is just a great adventure seen thru the eyes of an innocent boy and his best friend - his dog. Great cast. Great story. If you ever truly loved a dog, you should see this movie. Old man Walt Disney would have been proud to have his name associated with "My Dog Skip".

Rating:
Summary: conventional but likeable film
Review: In plot, `My Dog Skip' offers a pretty standard-issue `a boy and his dog' tale - but at least it doesn't talk down to its core preteen audience. It also provides a finely textured portrait of its wartime, small town Mississippi setting.

Based upon the memoirs of writer Willie Morris, `My Dog Skip' stars the wonderful child actor Frankie Muniz (the delightful star of TV's `Malcolm in the Middle') as a friendless nine-year-old misfit whose mother buys him a puppy for his birthday to help assuage his loneliness. More fond of reading than of football, young Willie becomes the hapless target of the town bullies and Skip provides him with just the right note of friendship to help him through his trying times. The cast of characters also includes Willie's well meaning but overprotective war hero father (sensitively played by Kevin Bacon), his loving and supportive mother (the fine actress Diane Lane), the boy-next-door town hero (Luke Wilson) who turns out to be less than one on the battlefield, and a band of moon shiners who figure into the climactic activities of the film's final half.

`My Dog Skip' is less noteworthy for its plotting - which often seems forced, obvious and melodramatic - than for its overall tone of laid back charm. Muniz in particular brings such an aura of subtle naturalism to his role as Willie that we easily overlook the film's overall lack of originality. Actually, the fact that Willie seems like such a likeable regular kind of a kid undercuts the film's credibility a little. We find it hard to believe that he would really be such an outcast from his peers. The writer, Gail Gilchriest, and director, Jay Russell, manage to keep the sentimentality down to a minimum, though the film does get a bit goopy once in a while. The moonshining subplot seems especially weak and unconvincing, a pale but underdeveloped echo of `Huck Finn,' a book Morris obviously worshipped as a child (we see him receiving a hardbound copy of it for his birthday). On the positive side, the filmmakers resist the temptation to gussy up the narrative with either highbrow humanitarian messages (though the narration does become a bit portentous at times) or insulting lowbrow comic slapstick. The issue of race relations is dealt with in somewhat glossy and unrealistic terms, but that is probably the appropriate choice for a film aimed at such a young audience.

`My Dog Skip' needs to be viewed on two levels - as a beautifully acted but unsurprising version of a tale adults have seen countless times before - and as a sweet, heartwarming and edifying film for young children who will be able to identify with many of the simple themes found in the narrative. On that level alone, `My Dog Skip' scores high as ideal family viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Huge letdown
Review: I can't understand all of the good reviews for this film, which I found to be a huge disappointment. Bad performances, coupled with awful direction and hackneyed, cliched writing puts this on my list of films to avoid. The film obviously tried to capitalize on Muniz's rising star power among youngsters and families, but offered little substance for this film to endure. There is never an indication at what makes this dog so special. And it' hard to believe that only two dogs were used for Skip; his appearance changes quite frequently throughout the film.If you want a recent "uplifting" family film, opt for "The Sandlot."

Rating:
Summary: Is my cat totally disgusted, or what?
Review: It's 1942 in Yazoo City, in the Mississippi Delta. Nine-year old Willie (Frankie Muniz) is a lonely kid. Small, scrawny and physically uncoordinated, he's held in contempt by his peers. His Dad, Jack (Kevin Bacon), is stern and aloof, having lost a leg in the Spanish Civil War, of all places. (Why he was there at all is never explained.) Willie's only friend outside the family, his adult next-door neighbor and personal sports hero, Dink, has joined the Army, and is off to fight the Nazis. Realizing her son needs a pal (and a bit of responsibility), Willie's Mom, Ellen (Diane Lane), gets him a dog for his ninth birthday over the strenuous objections of Jack. ("He's not old enough!") Enter Skip, a terrier puppy way too cute for words.

MY DOG SKIP is a classic, family-oriented, G-rated story about a boy and his dog growing up together in small town America. And whether Willie is facing up to the local bullies, running afoul of moonshiners in the local cemetery, playing (ineptly) in a Little League game, watching a Saturday picture show at the local movie palace, or holding hands with the town's prettiest girl, Skip is there to provide moral support, a friendly lick, a happy bark, and a spirited wag of the tail. Disregarding for the moment that encounter with the moonshiners - a bit of a stretch even for Mississippi - the viewer loses himself in this charming reminiscence of a childhood with Man's Best Friend. It should rekindle fond memories in anyone who grew up with a pooch of his/her own. (I didn't. Our family had a succession of cats. But you know what I mean.)

MY DOG SKIP, based on the true life experiences of Harper's magazine editor Willie Morris, is not a great film. But it's an eminently watchable one, mostly due to the antics of the lovable Skip. I don't think my cat liked it, but I certainly did.

(It should here be noted that Willie Morris, a cat-hater most of his life, later came to have a feline Best Pal - a story of adult enlightenment told in the book MY CAT SPIT MCGEE. This charming volume is available from Amazon.)

Rating:
Summary: FUN FOR THE FAMILY. saturday 10th april 2004.
Review: I cried at the end of the film, it was so sad when his dog dies. I also cried when he hit skip. The story is about a newborn puppy skip who is bought by a childs mum on his 9th birthday, when his dad sees him the puppy gets taken off him but when she manages to work round him, the puppy grows up into a loving family he does the house hold plays games and loves willie his owner. The dog grows up and when the boy is older he goes off leaving his mum dad and dog to go and work on a career. Soon the dog dies with arthritus and old age, and that is very sad. LOVING SAD AND FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY.

Rating:
Summary: An endearing film. A love of dogs not required to enjoy.
Review: There are more movies for families and kids than there were a decade ago, but many of them are not very good. Not only do they teach us nothing, they are also limited in the entertainment department. That's one reason you should grab a video like My Dog Skip. It isn't a perfect movie, but it is perfectly delightful. It is also one adults can sit through without groaning.

It's 1943 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and W.W.II is raging. Though the townsfolk face many sacrifices, life goes on apace. Nine year old Willie Morris [France Mount] is an only child who doesn't have friends because he is small for his age and bookish. The closest thing to a friend is next door neighbor Dink Jenkins [Luke Wilson], a star high school athlete. Willie idolizes him, but Dink is much older and will soon be inducted into the army. Jack and Ellen Morris [Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane] fret about how to help their son but disagree on a remedy. Ellen thinks they should get the boy a dog, but Jack, a stern, pensive man who lost a leg in a previous war, thinks Willie is too young. Ellen, a much more open and outgoing person, buys Willie a terrier puppy anyway. Jack protests but soon gives in, and Willie has his first true friend.

Skip is one of the rare dogs that everyone in town everyone falls for, except for the bootleggers that operate out of the town cemetery. The dog's being so well liked gives Willie more and more confidence. Soon Skip is trotting all over town [Ah! The days before leash laws!] He scampers right into the grocery store to get his daily bologna fix. America, of course, was still segregated in 1943. This doesn't stop Skip from making friends in the 'colored section.' As Willie puts is, dogs are smarter than people because they are color blind. This is a dog that goes with Willie to the movies, has his own seat and shares the popcorn. This is a mutt that literally fixes the kid up with his first childhood sweetheart. While fiercely loyal to his master, Skip wisely lets him fight his own battles. By doing this, he helps Willie become fast friends with the neighborhood gang of boys.

This picture is not all sweetness and light. There are a couple of scary scenes, and a few that will bring out the Kleenex, if for no other reason than that Skip is the kind of dog most of us wish we could have had as a kid.

My Dog Skip is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Willie Morris. Skip really was his dog, and this fact makes the movie even more poignant. Mr. Morris died shortly before the film's release.

Rating:
Summary: Great film for only-children, dog lovers and the family
Review: It gets rarer and rarer today that a film is made that includes a true story, no foul language, no sex and still is entertaining and suitable for children.

If you have extremely sensitive children, however, there is a very violent act perpetrated against the star, Skip. It is very disturbing, but sadly was a true event in the life of this dog and his boy. If you have a child who is overly sensitive, you may want until they are a little older before letting them see this film due to the one scene.

Despite the disturbing scene I mentioned, this is still a feel-good movie, lump-in-throat not-withstanding.

Even the most stony-hearted viewer will have at least a tear in their eye during some of the scenes. The film shows the growing relationship between a boy and his dog, his father, mother and friends.

Taking place in the 1940s when most people had big families, an only-child's only companion is an adorable Jack Russell Terrier puppy named Skip.

Skip is quite a unique character and everyone in town knows him, loves him and respects him. This was a highly enjoyable film and a good bonding movie for a family and children. You don't need to own a dog or have children to enjoy the film, however. If you hate dogs, however, this is not a film you should even consider. I found this a highly enjoyable film that exceeded my expectations. It earns a 5 star rating because of the convincing acting and a well-rounded family film that is actually suitable to show to every member of the family.

Rating:
Summary: Annoying
Review: Frankie Muniz plays an annoying little boy who gets a dog. If he really loved his dog he should'nt let Skip go to war. They have moonshiners but present them as bad people, but moonshiners are what helped bring freedom to those who wanted a drink. The best part is when the moonshiners hurt skip, but the one idiot threatens the moonshiner.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This movie mad me cry so much it made me mad. If you are a really big dog lover, this is not the movie for you.
Sure, at first it is promising with the cute dog messing around, but then it gets depressing.
No fun at all in this movie.

Rating:
Summary: Silly plot, but family fun
Review: This is definitely a family movie, or at least a movie for dog lovers, of which yours truly is one. I have to admit I don't like Muniz; he's totally over-acting in every role he's graced, this one especially. Luke Wilson's character is so forgettable, I don't know why he's in the movie. Kevin Bacon is totally not believable as a stern father. Diane Lane (the reason I picked up the movie) gives a good performance, but seems too old next to Bacon. (Sorry, Diane!) And seriously, she's too sexy to be a southern housewife.

The plot, like someone mentioned before, is rather conventionally and forced. There isn't really a nice central story. The ending is pretty much predictable.

What made me enjoy the movie, inevitably, is the dog character Skip (short for Skipper). The terrier is just so adorable! The credit screen says two dogs play the character, one puppy and the other adult. Both are just terrific animal actors. They have the ability to project a lot of dog personality, and the filmmakers did a great job capturing the best moments of these unforgettable dogs.