My Dog Skip 3 and 1/2 Stars (Out of 4) Reviewed by Mac VerStandig critic@moviereviews.org http://www.moviereviews.org March 4, 2000
---A copy of this review can be found at http://www.moviereviews.org/my_dog_skip.htm ---
For melodrama lovers still weeping the death of Bambi's mother, My Dog Skip is the perfect film. Ditto parents looking for wholesome and oftentimes cute material for their kids. But for those seeking popcorn entertainment, adult fare or typical March trash, the last word of the title should serve as a subliminal hint.
"My fondest memories are from my childhood days," explains Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz of television's Malcolm in the Middle). Those days began with a lonely nine-years-old Willie seeing his 20-something best friend (Luke Wilson) depart to join American soldiers overseas in World War Two. They would end with his best friend being the dog who lends his name to the film's title and Willie's popularity among local youth being far greater than anyone could have imagined. In-between he would have fights with his "stern and overbearing" father, befriend the cutest girl in town, uncover an illegal bootlegging operation and witness a member of Bambi's type take one in the chest. Through all of this, he would grow up.
Willie Morris penned the autobiographical book that became this movie. After those days of French invasions, childhood crushes and good ol' Skip, Morris became an accomplished author and served as editor of Harper's Magazine for seven years. He passed away in August, 1999 - just months before the premiere of My Dog Skip.
The plot of the film is reminiscent of both Forrest Gump and Dennis the Menace. As an unpopular only child against a background setting of real events, Morris seems a lot like Gump; his girlfriend is equally suggestive of Jenny. But the suburban life with nest-door neighbors and sling-shots leads you to wonder why he doesn't have that one strand of hair aimed at Ra.
Frankie Muniz seems to be the hottest new kid actor in Hollywood with Malcolm in the Middle garnering both critical and popular acclaim. Unfortunately, this overly-sentimental role proves a tad heavy for the relatively inexperienced star and the result is numerous emotional scenes losing their oomph because of his obvious confusion. On a brighter note, however, Kevin Bacon (the center of the movie universe) and Diane Lane (recently in the under-appreciated A Walk on the Moon) turn in grade-A performances as our protagonist's parents.
In wake of the overly-violent Pokémon and mediocre-at-best Tigger Movie, My Dog Skips proves to be the first film since Toy Story 2 that the tots can see without objection. This movie doesn't have as much to offer on multiple levels as the November hit and is a less cheery piece - but it is a genuine family film and those are hard to come by these days.
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