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Snow Dogs
EMAILPRINTBuena Vista Pictures / Walt Disney Pictures
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 26 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 25 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy
Written by:
Gary Paulsen (book Winterdance: the Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod)
Jim Kouf
Tommy Swerdlow and Michael Goldberg
Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin
Directed by: Brian Levant
Release Date:
Theatrical: January 18, 2002
DVD: May 14, 2002
Running Time: 97 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for mild crude humor
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., James Coburn, Joanna Bacalso, Brian Doyle-Murray, Graham Greene, and Sisqo
When Miami dentist (Gooding, Jr.) finds out that he's been named in a will, he travels to Alaska thinking he's going to be rich. Soon, his dream of wealth turns to mush when he finds out he has been left a team of racing dogs. As Ted's life goes to the dogs, he vows to learn to mush, no matter what it takes. (Walt Disney Pictures)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Are We There Yet? The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
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...
Miami Herald Christine Dolen
A Disney family film, with all that the term implies: It's playful, corny, silly, adventuresome and enjoyable.
Washington Post William Triplett
A throwaway movie, but that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, if you have a soft spot for man's best friend, it's a pretty good throwaway movie.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
As for Gooding, he's sadly gone to the dogs -- Snow Dogs has got to be his most humiliating role since "Lightning Jack."
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Snow Dogs isn't subtle, to say the least, but it's a serviceable city-slicker-in-the-frozen-sticks comedy for kids and undemanding adults.
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
I never thought I'd see a slapstick animal action movie about the beauty of interracial relationships and nonmarital sex, but that's what this is, and kids seem to love it.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Frank Lovece
Formulaic but not entirely predictable, it's like old-school Disney, but without Tim Conway.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Cuba Gooding Jr. lands on his behind more often than a one-legged figure skater, and the preschooler next to me giggled every time.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
Like shave ice without the topping, this cinematic snow cone is as innocuous as it is flavorless.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
Snow Dogs never comes close to transcending its own inherent silliness, but Coburn, Gooding, and a genial tone help make the movie harmless tomfoolery the whole family can tolerate.
Read Full Review >Variety Joe Leydon
Small children will be amused by the frenetic antics of Cuba Gooding Jr. Grownups, however, will be far less enchanted.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
The movie's gentle and friendly, but nowhere close to exciting. It would be hard to believe that anyone involved with this production --considers Snow Dogs anything more than phoned-in business as usual.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Loren King
Harmless, if witless, stuff for the kids.
Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder
Amiable Gooding still smiles through it all, weathering the cold, physical abuse and implied racism, doing his best to make his audience believe that Snow Dogs isn't offensive mush. But he can't bring it off.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
The best actor in Snow Dogs is a glowering Siberian husky named Demon. In fact, all the dogs in the movie do a better job than their human counterparts.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
It's the sort of visual joke you would wince at in a 1940s movie; to see it nowadays, you're tempted to dismiss it as unintentional.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Mark Olsen
Relies almost exclusively on the gushing exuberance of Gooding Jr., and the aw-shucks factor of his digitally expressive, face-licking canine co-stars, leaving such potentially game actors as James Coburn and M. Emmet Walsh out in the cold.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Gene Seymour
Every generation is entitled to its dopey, sticky junk and, deep into the winter blahs, they don't get stickier or dopier than Snow Dogs.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The vocal canines appear for about 30 humorous seconds, in a dream sequence, and are then never seen again. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the rest of the film, which runs an additional 98.5 excruciating minutes.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
As distressed as a comedy can be without qualifying as a snow emergency.
Read Full Review >New Times (L.A.) Luke Y. Thompson
Snow Dogs may simply be a stupid waste of your time. But if you know the source, it's an abomination.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Dana Stevens
Snow Dogs is, even by the standards of a tradition that includes "Son of Flubber" and "The Shaggy D.A.," remarkably inept.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
The marketing weasels over at Disney deserve to have their beady little eyes gouged out with flaming icicles for the fast one they've pulled on audiences with Snow Dogs.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Stupid Alien gave it an8:
Excellent comedy! Those dogs are quite realistic [nice computer work, Demon winks???]
Pat C. gave it a4:
A truly amazing film that sustains momentum in spite of not containing one fiber of substance.
M K gave it a 0:
Boring as batsh.t. we had to watch it in class, and i've never seen people so bored in mylife. not the least bit funny.
Brad B. gave it an 8:
Give me a break... this film wasn't intended to be The English Patient. It's a cute "feel good" family movie. The scenery was amazing.... the characters were meant to be larger than life- as well as the dogs (fine with me). It had just enough comedy and romance to keep the adults engaged. My daughter loved it and I certainly enjoyed it - not a common scenario!
Michelle P. gave it a 10:
Yes, I'm aware that this movie has a rather silly plot. But I don't think it was absurd enough to deserve a 20. I mean, we don't get these kind of feel-good, fun, movies, other than "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". This film has 3 things that not too many films have 1. A beautiful scenery. I haven't seen any beautiful sceneries since "The Fellowship of the Ring", but this film contained such a beautiful Alaska scenery that you just wanted to move there right away. 2. Animals get respected. I haven't seen this happening since "Princess Mononoke". The dogs in this film are beautiful, cute, clever, brave, mischievious, lovable, and even get their name in the title. So far, films have been taking such helpful animals that have saved the lives of humans for many centuries for granted. But this film shows how important they are. 3. No sensuality. There is romance sprinkled in this film, but no boy sleeping with a girl when they're not married. Nowadays, romance or comedies seem to always have that, to "spice up" the movie. Nice try. I think critics these days are a little too picky about certain films and take them for granted when they could be a stress relief. See this one, whether you're a kid, teen, or an adult. But especially if you're a dog-lover (like me ^_^)
Rell S. gave it a 10:
Both my wife and I loved this movie - we have watched it several times and plan on watching it again.
Angel D. gave it a 10:
I give this movie a 10. And I am speaking from it's target point of view: the kids and those ones not asking too much philosophy out of a children's movie. Probably the gentlemen and ladies at the New Times (L.A.) and other so-called-raters are more fond of the "Die Another Day" and other "action" movies that "warm their souls" and are expecting crappy gun-shots and fighting on the screen, especially when they are taking their kids to a Disney movie. Well, they get what they want, as "peaceful" and funny movies like SnowDogs are not welcome anymore by the new generation of "critique"-ers. Too bad...
