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Old Dogs

EMAILPRINTWalt Disney Pictures

Old Dogs reviews
19
4.0 User Score:

Overwhelming dislike

Based on 22 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 29 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Family/Kids

Written by: David Diamond
David Weissman

Directed by: Walt Becker

Release Date:
Theatrical: November 25, 2009

Running Time: 88 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Language(s): English | Ukrainian

Summary

RATING: PG for some mild rude humor

Starring John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu Travolta, Lori Loughlin, and Matt Dillon

Two best friends -- one unlucky-in-love divorcee and the other a fun-loving bachelor -- have their lives turned upside down when they're unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins, leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what's really important in life. (Walt Disney Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

63

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

It runs a fast 88 minutes, is broad as the waistlines of its stars, and is remarkably family-friendly if you don't mind bathroom humor.

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50

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Nostalgia is part of the modest charm of this disposable but inoffensive picture. Old Dogs makes old dogs out of all of us.

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50

Variety Dennis Harvey

Too bad this shrilly tuned comedy doesn't demand more than clock-punching effort from everyone involved.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

This is the weird thing, Old Dogs is not that bad.

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50

LA Weekly Robert Wilonsky

You see where this is going, but, apparently, kids don’t know the formula.

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40

Time Out New York Kevin B. Lee

Only the irrepressible Luis Guzmán, stuck in a walk-on bit as the stereotypical mooching Hispanic, is able to milk this cash cow and exit with his dignity intact.

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38

USA Today Claudia Puig

This is not the Travolta of "Pulp Fiction," nor is it the Williams of "One Hour Photo." Though no animals were harmed in the making of Old Dogs, the lead actors were defanged. But like a pair of Labradors, they have a playful rapport.

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38

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Joe Williams

Old Dogs is so oafish, when it tosses us a biscuit, it feels like we've been smacked with a newspaper.

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30

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

Insipid, predictable, broad comedy mixed with Disney Family Values makes for one exasperating sit.

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25

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Adults should steer clear. Kids should be sent to it only if they’ve been extraordinarily naughty.

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25

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

None of it is funny. It’s all pain and no funny.

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25

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Stupefying dimwitted.

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25

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Old Dogs is offensive mostly because it wastes time.

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25

New York Post Kyle Smith

Old Dogs does to the screen what old dogs do to the carpet. It's unfortunate that only the latter can be taken out and shot.

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25

Washington Post John Anderson

Travolta is simply useless in Old Dogs, but Williams is actively offensive.

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20

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

Travolta, who delivers an impressively enthusiastic performance, seems to have no idea that he's stuck in one of the year's worst movies. The perpetually pained expression on Williams' face, however, suggests he knows otherwise.

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12

ReelViews James Berardinelli

What's wrong with this movie? A better question might be: What's right? Every attempt at comedy is not only obvious but delivered in such a forced manner that any hope of generating laughter dies before the joke has been told.

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12

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a turkey, and in Old Dogs, we have the season’s blue-ribbon gobbler.

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11

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

Not so much bad as it is witless and predictable.

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0

The New York Times Stephen Holden

This imbecilic, mean-spirited farce, which sneers at adults, leaves you wondering: where are the Three Stooges when we really need them?

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0

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

A total train wreck.

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0

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Exhausted as the premise already is -- hapless boomer learns that real manhood is a function of committed fatherhood -- Old Dogs nevertheless finds ways to make the lesson even less tolerable.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 4.0 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John gave it a1:
Trust me: This is a bad, bad movie.

Ronald gave it a10:
This movie really makes me laugh!! Is for enjoying with the family.

Fallan B gave it a10:
Rather than be boring and agreeable like the rest of you who don't appear to have an original thought among you, how about you go make a better movie. Old Dogs was light and funny, the way I am sure it was meant to be. Any of you 'expert critics' earning the same bucks as Travolta in the brilliant movies you have made lately?

J Bell gave it a0:
A revolting excuse for a "film" which could only be recommended to the intellectually handicapped.

Anthony S gave it a10:
This is the best movie I have ever seen. this is great. John travolta was like grease lightning.

Laurie L gave it a0:
The. Worst. Ever.

caleb T gave it a0:
This movie.......this movie should be renamed ouch my balls. Yes like that show on Idiocracy. Becuase thats all it was. Painful slapstick humor. This movie is bad. I mean it. It is awful. Its not just the fact that it was even worse than WIld Hogs. Its not just the fact that it has no plot. Its not just the fact it has no character development or even the fact that the jokes are not funny at all. The worst thing about this film is the wasted talent. A movie must be awful if it has Seth Green, Justin Long, Robin WIlliams, John Travolta, and Dax Sheppard, and it still fails to make me crack a smile. Even more idiotic is the fact that they are fixtated on dogs in this movie. They have all these dogs in scenes that there should be no dogs just for the reaction shot. Like when somebody says something odd and the dog looks up and makes a noise. Hey, I have an idea for a drinking game. Take a shot every time a dog has a reaction shot. OOOOHHH even HARDER drinking game. Take a shot for every scene in this movie that sucks...I'm sorry but DIsney, you need to try harder. I saw Up. I saw Bedtime Stories. And I saw Princess and the Frog. I know you guys can make a decent movie if you try. So please, next time, put some effort in it.

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