Old Dogs DVD Review

OLD DOGS

• Own it on DVD on March 9, 1010
• Feature run time: Approximately 88 minutes
• Rated: PG (US) – Bonus Material Not Rated In US, G (Canada)
• FastPlay™: FastPlay enabled
• Languages: English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

I recently viewed Disney’s Old Dogs starring John Travolta and Robin Williams. Aging bachelors, Charlie and Dan, are bachelors, best friends, and co-owners of a sports marketing business. Several years earlier Dan had been married, divorced, and remarried briefly all in one day. Immediately he recanted his vows and became single again. Little did he know….

Seven years later Dan gets a call from Vickie. Over lunch she tells him that she has been sentenced to jail and needs his help. She introduces him to twins Zack and Emily and says they need to get to know their father namely him. Dan is entrusted with his new found children and elicits help from his buddy Charlie. Comedy ensues as he attempts to sneak them into his singles complex, goes camping with the kiddies, switches medications with Charlie, and tries to mix business with caring for his children. Meanwhile Charlie finds himself attracted to Amanda but babysitting complicates romantic moments.

As Dan begins to bond with his new family, he is forced to leave for Japan. Once there he misses his offspring enough to ditch the deal and return to Vermont to be with his boy and girl on their birthday. Since the party is in a locked zoo, he breaks in with a little help from Charlie and assistant Craig. A year later he and Vickie are together. Charlie has married Amanda and has a baby of his own.

The cast includes:

* John Travolta as Charlie Reed
* Robin Williams as Dan Rayburn
* Kelly Preston as Vicki Greer
* Seth Green as Craig White
* Lori Loughlin as Amanda
* Ella Travolta as Emily Greer
* Conner Rayburn as Zach Greer
* Dax Shepard as Gary
* Bernie Mac as Jimmy Lunchbox, in a minor posthumous role
* Matt Dillon as Troop Leader Barry
* Rita Wilson as Jenna
* Justin Long as Troop Leader Adam
* Ann-Margaret as Martha
* Luis Guzman as Baby Proofer #2

Old Dogs rated PG works as family home entertainment. Multiple cameo walkons are the basis for some of its audience draw. It is a comedy that builds on artificial plot situations and gimmicks. I personally thought the scripting could have been less hammy and the acting more true to life. Even though many critics panned this film, I still found myself smiling and laughing.

Here’s the trailer.

Here’s the official press release.

John Travolta And Robin Williams Unleash Hilarity In The “Best Of Breed” Family Comedy

Disney’s OLD DOGS

A Must Own Disney Blu-ray™ Combo Pack Available March 9, 2010

“One of the best family films of the year” – Sandie Newton, CBS-Dallas

Burbank, Calif., January 29, 2010 – Playing Dad is harder than it looks for two best friends who suddenly find themselves caring for seven-year-old twins in Old Dogs, the knockout family comedy, coming to Disney Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack on March 9, 2010 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Starring Academy Award® winner Robin Williams, (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Good Will Hunting, 1997) and John Travolta (Wild Hogs), Old Dogs is a fresh and funny Disney treat that Pete Hammond of Boxoffice Magazine calls “Hilarious! Fun for the whole family.” With bonus features including laugh-out-loud boopers, exclusive music videos, behind-the-scenes peeks and a digital copy of the film, the Old Dogs Combo Pack will have audiences howling with laughter!

Kelly Preston (Jerry McGuire), Conner Rayburn (The Invention of Lying), Seth Green (Can’t Hardly Wait), Matt Dillon (There’s Something About Mary) and, in her screen debut, Ella Bleu Travolta (real life daughter of Travolta and Preston) deliver champion comic performances in a movie that combines unforgettable physical humor, off-the-wall escapades and heartfelt emotion.

Bonus Features

Old Dogs on single-disc DVD also includes:

• A Collection of Hilarious Deleted Scenes and Bloopers

• Audio Commentary by the film’s director Walt Becker, producer Andrew Panay, and writers David Diamond and David Weissman

The single disc Blu-ray Hi-Def version includes the same bonus features, plus:

• “Every Little Step” — A new music video performed by John Travolta and Ella Bleu Travolta

The three-disc Combo Pack (BD+DVD+Digital Copy) includes all of the above as well as:

• “You’ve Been A Friend To Me” — A music video performed by Bryan Adams

• “Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks”

Dan (Robin Williams) and his best friend and business partner Charlie (John Travolta) are on the verge of the biggest deal in the history of their sports marketing firm when their lives are turned upside down by a surprise visit from Dan’s ex-wife Vicki (Kelly Preston). Vicki has big news for Dan—their ever-so-brief liaison produced twins Zach
(Conner Rayburn) and Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta), now seven-years-old and in need of a dad to keep an eye on them for two weeks. With only high-living playboy Charlie for support, Dan’s bumbling attempts at “on the job training” in fatherhood result in a series of disastrously funny exploits that lead him to a new understanding of what really matters in life. Featuring an extraordinary cast of comedy purebreds including Seth Green, Matt Dillon and Lori Loughlin, Old Dogs will have audiences rolling over and begging for more.

Old Dogs on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is priced at $44.99 SRP (US) and $51.99 SRP (Canada), single disc Blu-ray is priced at $39.99 SRP (US) and $44.99 SRP (Canada), and the single disc DVD is priced at $29.99 SRP (US) and $35.99 SRP (Canada).

About Disney’s Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + DisneyFile in a single package):

To provide consumers with unprecedented quality, value and portability of their favorite Disney movies, in 2008 Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) pioneered the Combo Pack – a Blu-ray Disc™ plus a DVD and a DisneyFile digital copy of the film in a single package. Current WDSHE branded titles available as Combo Packs include, Bolt, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Up.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., a recognized leader in the home entertainment Industry, is the marketing, sales and distribution company for Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax and Buena Vista product, which includes DVD, Blu-ray Disc and electronic distribution. Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is a division of The Walt Disney Studios.