Credit: www.impawards.com
Director:
Brian Robbins
Cast:
Tim Allen……….Dave Douglas
Kristin Davis……….Rebecca Douglas
Zena Grey……….Carly Douglas
Spencer Breslin……….Josh Douglas
Robert Downey Jr………..Dr. Kozak
Danny Glover……….D.A. Ken Hollister
Joshua Leonard……….Justin Forrester
Philip Baker Hall……….Lance Strictland
Walt Disney Pictures presents The Shaggy Dog. Written by Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley, Geoff Rodkey, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated PG (for some mild rude humor).
Here’s a Wonderlic test question for you. Assume the first two statements are true. Is the final statement true, false, or not certain?
1. Men are messy.
2. Dogs are messy.
3. Men are dogs.
This question has no bearing on the review, yet the last statement is a common metaphor women use to describe men to their girlfriends. Statement number three could also be used to break the ice at a boring social engagement. Make an impression by walking up to two women talking and ask, “What if men were dogs?” Would we lift one leg up when going to the bathroom? How about mailmen; would we chase them down the street?
Probably not, but in the remake to the 1959 family film The Shaggy Dog the main character Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) is transformed into a white and grey wooly sheepdog. Talk about coincidence. Douglas is a prosecutor who’s been working like a dog (no pun intended) on case after case. Spending more time at work than at home, he is creating a bad living environment for his family. His wife is upset, his teenage daughter is going through that rebellious stage in her life, and his son is only playing football to please his dad.
In his latest trial the assistant district attorney is prosecuting a case about a fire set at a medical facility. Supposedly, the laboratory does experimental tests on animals. One of the animals is a sheepdog that was dognapped (is that the right word?) from Tibet. But, it is no ordinary sheepdog. This dog has a special gene in his DNA that reverses his number of dog years. So every seven years equals one human year. The scientists were conducting studies, doing most the legwork for the cruel Dr. Kozak, who is played ably well by Robert Downey Jr.
As the story goes, Allen’s rebellious teen Carly (Zena Grey) is upset that her social studies teacher was the one implicated with setting the fire. She and her boyfriend decide to protest the animal testing performed at the lab. Much to the chagrin of her father, Carly brings home a 300-year-old sheepdog that was trying to make a great escape away from the medical researchers.
Once Dave sees the dog in the house, he looks like he’s going to blow a fuse. The children love the dog, calling it Shaggy, but dad can’t stand the thing. Trying to get it situated in the garage, the dog bites Dave and somehow sends its “Super DNA” – little mangy mutt microbes – streaming into his bloodstream. If you have ever seen ads for some newfangled miracle pill that causes happiness in one area, but side effects in another, you should know Shaggy’s DNA is not FDA approved. Ultimately, the interaction (bite) causes the prosecutor to metamorphose into a dog. When he is in human form, Dave sometimes scratches for fleas, drinks like a dog would – lapping up water with his tongue – and chasing cats on all fours. Definitely not normal behavior. It also effects Dave’s courtroom duties; he is inclined to growl at opposing counsel.
Even though Dave is a dog, he still retains the normal though process of a human. When he can’t speak to tell his kids “it’s me, dad,” he rearranges Scrabble pieces to say, “I am dad.” It’s amazing the family wasn’t quick to pick up on all the clues the dog was throwing at them. Next time ladies, when you are saddened by the fact your husband failed to show up for a romantic evening of wining and dining, be on the look out for a dog holding a bouquet of roses in its teeth. It could be your significant other. Only a lot hairier.
A kid watching The Shaggy Dog would not be concerned with some of the little plot holes. It’s easy to process a child switching places with an adult, a la Freaky Friday or Vice Versa, but you still have to wonder the psychology between dogs and humans. For this movie the shaggy dog is only occupied by a human mind, correct? As a human though, Tim Allen has his own mind and the instincts of a dog. Is the dog trying to do a little harmless brain altering in attempts to show Allen there is more to life than making money? Quite possibly, since being a bad father is the central issue in the movie.
I’m probably overanalyzing the psychology aspect of the characters in this Disney kids’ movie. Sure, it may not be a family film that illustrates the moral ambiguity about fathers in the 21st century, but there is no denying that Tim Allen’s priorities are way out of whack. Heck, he’s married to a woman whose former profession involved “Sex and the City.” He should know better.
