Old Dogs

Synopsis: Two middle-aged businessmen have their lives turned upside down when they have to care for 7-year old twins.

Release Date: November 25, 2009     MPAA Rating: PG-13

Genre(s): Comedy, Children and Family

Film Review

Two men over the age of oh lets say 50 to be kind have their lives sent into a spiral when !surprise! one of them has a pair of 7-year old twins whom he must watch for two weeks. Not really what you may want when your company is about to close a deal worth over 45 million dollars. This scenario does make room for a high dose of comedy and some sentimental charm. Charlie (Travolta) and Dan (Williams) make an unlikely but pleasantly surprising pair of best friends who have seen each other through the worst of times. They play off each other well, even if Travolta takes Charlie as being a little more eccentric than his character need be. Dan carries most of the story as he slowly adapts to having children but do not expect to see a whole lot from the children themselves. They are grossly underused in the film and act more as a hub for Dan and Charlie to grow and change into family men. This does not hurt the comedic nature of the movie but it does deter from what you may have expected walking in. Overall it is a decent piece of entertainment with two actors doing their best to make us laugh and succeeding; with a little help from two children, a sidekick (Seth Green as Ralph) and lots of cameos from some random actors in roles as unpredictable as the tattoo on Dan’s chest (sorry, no spoiler, you will just have to see for yourself).

In terms of pacing the film is cut extremely well. The time passes quickly and there appear to be no lulls in the storyline. One thing that does happen sporadically is the cutting off of scenes early, before the laughs are fully realized or the sentiment truly felt. It seems like the editor (Ryna Folsey) chopped a little too much off the ends of these scenes and by doing so much is lost in the viewing experience. Just a few more seconds to take in a joke or relate to a tender moment would have been well received by the viewer. Instead you feel rushed on occasion to move on to the next scene when you still want to stay in the prior one a little bit longer.

A good portion of the humor in the movie stems from the age of Dan and Charlie. Everyone assumes they are grandparents of the two kids and this results in plenty of laughs. One of my favorites just happens to occur in the restaurant when they are ordering breakfast as well as the scene in the bathroom. Never has a scene with a child and father been so awkward and hilarious at the same time. If only I could reveal just why. This is a very humorous film packed with both smart funny dialogue for all to enjoy and some physical comedy that will make you laugh out loud. Quite simply, good natured fun.

Cast and Crew

• Director(s): Walt BeckerBrian Robbins
• Producer(s): David DiamondDavid WeissmanJohn Travolta (Charlie)
• Screenwriter(s): Seth Green (Ralph White)Robin Williams (Dan)Justin Long (Adam Devlin)
• Story: Bernie Mac (Jimmy Lunchbox)
• Cast:  Ryan FolseyJeffrey L. KimballDavid Gropman
• Editor(s): Joseph G. Aulisi
• Cinematographer: John Debney
• Production Designer(s): Custom Film Effects
• Costume Designer: 
• Casting Director(s): RotoFactory
• Music Score: 
• Music Performed By: 
• Country Of Origin: USA