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Movies / Opening / Old Dogs
Old Dogs

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Old Dogs (2009)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:3

Rotten:23

Average Rating:2.5/10

Consensus: Its cast tries hard, but Old Dogs is a predictable, nearly witless attempt at physical comedy and moral uplift that misses the mark on both counts.

Genre: Comedies

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: Two best friends -- one unlucky-in-love divorcee (ROBIN WILLIAMS) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (JOHN TRAVOLTA) -- have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with... Two best friends -- one unlucky-in-love divorcee (ROBIN WILLIAMS) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (JOHN TRAVOLTA) -- 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 (newcomers ELLA BLEU TRAVOLTA and CONNER RAYBURN), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what’s really important in life. --© Walt Disney Pictures [More]

Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green

Starring: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard, Bernie Mac, Luis Guzmán, Ella Bleu Travolta, Conner Rayburn, Lori Loughlin, Justin Long

Director: Walt Becker

Director: Walt Becker
Screenwriter: David Diamond, David Weissman
Producer: Andrew Panay, Robert L. Levy, Peter Abrams
Composer: John Debney
Studio: Buena Vista Internationa

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Reviews for Old Dogs

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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At least Luis Guzman and Dax Shepard were smart enough to avoid being credited for their roles in it.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
11/24/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

...the family comedy of the season.

Full Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

endlessly, excruciatingly un-funny non-comedy

Full Review Source: Beliefnet | comment Comment
11/24/09
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Beliefnet

Racist, juvenile and nonsensical.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/24/09
John P. McCarthy
John P. McCarthy
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

There's something in the way that Old Dogs is brazenly, proudly lazy that makes it truly reprehensible

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Katey Rich
Katey Rich
CinemaBlend.com

[A] sorry mess, a mangy, flea-bitten comedy of Daddy Day Care caliber.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
11/24/09
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

It is an irredeemable affair.

Full Review Source: MSN Movies | comment Comment
11/24/09
Mary F. Pols
Mary F. Pols
MSN Movies

...a morass of cliche, crotch shots and utter disregard for both logic and the audience. Walt Disney and poor Bernie Mac must be turning over in their graves.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
11/24/09
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A flawed but likable piece of fluff with zany antics and earnest sentiment to spare. Its infectious energy and naively big heart gradually win you over.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

A spastic, noxious comedy, Old Dogs is scattershot and out of control, bludgeoning the audience with all sorts of eye-bulging mugging and dire cliché. It's insufferable and lazily directed.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

If Old Dogs isn't the absolute worst movie either star has appeared in, it's close enough to count.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/24/09
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe

Largely forgetting the kids as it subjects its stars to one humiliation after another, Old Dogs doesn't even have the courage to commit to its familiar but serviceable premise.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
11/24/09
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

A cheesy chew-toy of a comedy about reluctant fatherhood.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
11/24/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Predictable as the premise is, Travolta's and Williams' unpredictability makes for some chortle-worthy slapstick, less of Laurel & Hardy vintage than of Abbott & Costello swill.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

Williams is encouraged to supercharge his silliness, Travolta plays straight man and the kids are relegated to background noise.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
11/24/09
Duane Dudek
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

There are some experiences no one should be subjected to even in the name of science. It may be that forced viewing of this film has been outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
11/24/09
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

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

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
11/24/09
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter

The movie includes an interminable scene of the men taking the wrong medications for their various boomer ailments, with weirdly horrible comedic side effects.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
11/24/09
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

There are no new tricks in Old Dogs, a broad and frenetic family comedy which puts John Travolta and Robin Williams together with two cute kids in a cozily predictable family-comes-first scenario.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
11/24/09
John Hazelton
John Hazelton
Screen International

In the first scene, we find out that Williams-Bot does not feel comfortable around children, because he kicks a soccer ball at a child and breaks the child's nose! This is very funny.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Old Dogs

November 24, 2009: Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
This week at the movies, we've got martial arts mayhem (Ninja Assassin, starring Rain and Naomie Harris); family-friendly hi jinks (Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin... More...

November 23, 2009: Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
Some actors are lucky enough to make the jump from television to film stardom. Some are lucky enough to get their careers back on track after falling off the A-list. But how... More...

November 23, 2009: Robin Williams Speaks from the (Repaired) Heart Opens in new window
He has "Old Dogs" heading to theaters and a sold-out comedy tour making its way across the country, but for post-heart surgery Robin Williams, the most important thing is his... More...

October 02, 2009: New: Brand New Trailer and Poster Opens in new window
More...

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