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Shaggy Dog, The

EMAILPRINTBuena Vista Pictures

Shaggy Dog, The reviews
43
5.4 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 15 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Adventure  |  Comedy  |  Family/Kids  |  Fantasy

Written by: Cormac Wibberley,
Marianne Wibberley,
Geoff Rodkey, Jack Amiel
and Michael Begler

Directed by: Brian Robbins

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 10, 2006
DVD: August 1, 2006

Running Time: 98 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for some mild rude humor

Starring Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin, Jane Curtin, Shawn Pyfrom, Jan Devereaux, Robert Downey Jr., and Danny Glover

Tim Allen transforms from family dad to family dog and back again in this fresh update of the Disney comedy classic The Shaggy Dog. (Disney)

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...

75

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The star (Allen), unleashed, is so energetic in his approximation of a bearded collie -- his nose sniffing the air, his whole being (which toggles between human and canine form) overcome by the need to fetch any stick thrown -- that his slobbery charm carries the picture.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

As good as family entertainment gets.

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75

Boston Globe Louise Kennedy

What The Shaggy Dog feels like, more than anything, is an old-fashioned Disney movie.

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70

The Hollywood Reporter Luke Sader

A fast-moving Walt Disney Co. comedy that manages to sail past many of the cliches usually found in this genre while throwing together a wild story line more apt for a new millennium.

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70

The New York Times Neil Genzlinger

Ms. Curtin is one of several examples of quirky casting that make this Shaggy Dog much more fun than it might have been.

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63

USA Today Claudia Puig

May not make you howl, but it does offer a few bona fide belly laughs.

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50

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Crafting this crude, noisy remake of Disney's first live-action comedy required the labor of no fewer than five screenwriters.

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50

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

For a kids' picture this is relatively funny.

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50

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

There are many delightful movie techniques out there available for making animals appear to speak, so it's too bad The Shaggy Dog doesn't use any of them.

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50

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Strictly for the very young who will find giggles in the anthropomorphic mash-ups and won't be too distracted by the predictably mawkish sitcom plot.

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50

LA Weekly Chuck Wilson

In this serviceable remake of the fondly remembered 1959 Disney comedy (which starred Fred MacMurray), an impressively dexterous Tim Allen plays Dave Douglas.

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50

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

There are precious few surprises here, but parents will find director Robbins' breezy remake a painless affair and, judging by the yowls of laughter from the peanut gallery at the screening I attended, the kids will be barking all the way home.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It says something for Robert Downey Jr. that in a movie where a man becomes a dog, Downey creates the weirdest character.

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50

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The extraordinary canine performances in Shaggy Dog and "Eight Below" lead me to wonder whether Disney could dispense with two-legged creatures altogether, until further notice.

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50

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

In movies as in life, superior technology doesn't necessarily trump humor, magic or really shaggy dogs.

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50

Miami Herald Peter Debruge

This is precisely the type of moviegoing experience engineered for those who still get a laugh when the Baha Men hit "Who Let the Dogs Out?" accompanies a doggie mayhem montage.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter

The unruly pack of subplots make The Shaggy Dog much more convoluted than it needs to be. But Allen's physical comedy as man-becoming-dog, and his non-stop monologue as man-dog, are definitely worth a trip to the matinee.

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40

Village Voice Rob Nelson

My eight-year-old nephew sat nearly silent throughout, so when he says he had fun, he must be talking about the treats.

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40

Variety Justin Chang

This fur-fetched tale is bearable family viewing.

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38

Premiere Jessica Letkemann

Feels like little more than a stale rehash with a promising cast whose talents haven't been tapped.

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33

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Okay, so when does the fun start?

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30

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

As a comic actor, Allen's palette is limited to varying degrees of beige. He is not only boring, he's obnoxious and narcissistic. Where's the ASPCA -- the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Audiences -- when you need 'em?

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30

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

The Shaggy Dog is paint, or more appropriately here, pant by the numbers. It also manages a one-two punch -- it will upset small children and bore their parents. There's just no other way to say this: Disney, that movie of yours is a dog.

25

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The movie is just this side of terrible. It misses all the charm and fun of the original. Allen's mugging is incorrigibly unfunny.

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25

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Who let this dog out?

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes

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

Andy G. gave it a10:
Probably the worst movie I have ever seen. Only enjoyable if you enjoy the highest levels of irony.

Erica J. gave it a6:
I thought it was pretty good, definetly a good family movie. If I were still a kid i'd of loved it.

Shelly C. gave it a10:
This movie is perfect for the whole family and children love it.

cybrswt gave it a4:
My six year liked it, I thought it was really bad movie is ok for kids.

Katherine gave it a0:
When will Hollywood learn that being original and creative is always the best way to go. Instead they make re-makes of movies. Don't you hate it when they make terrible re-makes just for money? I sure do hate it. I don't know where Hollywood is going.

Clarisse P. gave it a0:
A flop. This is one of the worst movie of this year. Tell me why did the great Robert Downey Jr play in this movie?

christos K. gave it a10:
Its Good.

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