The Shaggy Dog (2006 film)
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| The Shaggy Dog | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for The Shaggy Dog |
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| Directed by | Brian Robbins |
| Produced by | Robert Simonds Tim Allen |
| Written by | Jack Amiel Cormac Wibberly Marianne Wibberly Michael Begler Geoff Rodkey |
| Starring | Tim Allen Kristin Davis Danny Glover Craig Kilborn Robert Downey Jr. |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
| Release date(s) | March 10, 2006 |
| Running time | 98 Minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million |
| IMDb profile | |
The Shaggy Dog is a very loose remake of the 1959 film, The Shaggy Dog, in which a human unwillingly turns into a dog at random intervals. Apart from this basic concept, almost all elements of the original story have been changed. It was rated PG by the MPAA for some mild rude humor, but according to the DVD website, it's mistaken to be rated G by the MPAA.
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[edit] Plot
Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) is a lawyer whose passionate practice of arguing in courts have alienated him from his wife and children. When looked to for help by the latter, he is quite useless.
Douglas is a deputy district attorney and prosecutes activists who have broken into and allegedly set fire to the lab of the pharmaceutical corporation Grant and Strictland, which they accuse of deliberately creating genetic freaks while searching for a "Fountain of Youth" that will make them immortal. This further distances Douglas from his activist daughter Carly (Zena Grey).
Behind the doors, within the laboratory, genetic mutation is at work. The power-hungry minions of Mister Strictland (the surviving but aged junior partner of the late Grant), led by Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.) have stolen from a Buddhist monastery the dog Khyi-yag-po, (played by a bearded collie) whose DNA equips him with an extraordinary lifespan. According to the tests performed on him, Khyi-yag-po has outlived humans by a mutation that allows him to live seven years for every one human year (a reversal of the classic dog years belief). He also practices a technique of self-calming in the form of meditation. Seeking to obtain his seeming immortality for themselves, the geneticists carry out several experiments, which fail comically; though cell degradation desists in all the test subjects (a Bullfrog, Rats, a Chimpanzee, a Cobra, and a Capuchin Monkey), they all start behaving like dogs, and some begin to aqcuire dog-like characteristics (such as the cobra's tail changing to resemble Khyi-yag-po's). The scientists determine that Khyi-yag-po's mutation is contagious and transmissible by body fluids.
After some weeks of this, Khyi-yag-po makes a run for it and escapes his cage. While on the run in the building, he is found by Carly Douglas and her friend Trey (Shawn Pyfrom) who were snooping, trying to find evidence of the company's alleged animal testing. They bring him home, and dub him "Shaggy".
When Dave Douglas returns from his work, he objects to the presence of such a dog in his house. He orders "Shaggy" out, but in the process is bitten on the hand. Khyi-yag-po's saliva enters Dave's veins, which infects him with a kind of virus, later to infiltrate Dave's brain.
The combination of this infection and (presumably) Dave's own long-buried instincts as a pack animal transform the lawyer. He begins, like the lab prisoners, to exhibit canine behaviours such as eating with only his mouth, being territorial in the presence of other dogs, and licking his wife rather than kiss her. When he becomes excited by stimuli associated with dogs, such as the command "Fetch!" or the presence of a Cat, he makes the shape-change dramatically and changes into a replica of Khyi-yag-po.
He tries to communicate by arranging Scrabble letters into the sentence "I AM DAD"; though at first this is not noticed, later the children read it. Ironically, it is as a dog that Dave's behaviour and patterns of thought are most human; he objects to canine customs, listens intently to his family's unabridged talks, and thinks as a man would who cannot speak. Being that his family mistake him for Khyi-yag-po, they speak freely in his presence, leading Dave to realize what a bad connection he has with his family. Desirous to please him, they have hereto kept quiet about their discontent, but they have no inhibition to talking in the earshot of a sheepdog. Among other things, he finds out that his son Josh (Spencer Breslin) wants to sing in the musical Grease instead of playing football, but is too scared to tell his father so. Dave feels great sympathy, and decides to change his ways.
Dave's body changes to normal during nights, and sometimes during the day when he is calm. However, his dog-like behaviour gets him into trouble at his work in the courtroom. Testimony from the man accused to have set the lab on fire (Carly's social-studies teacher) includes a description of the animals behaving like dogs, which sparks Dave's suspicions about the company he is supposed to be defending. After continuing to misbehave in the courtroom, Dave is eventually removed from the case. He decides to take the investigation of the company into his own hands and drives to the Grant and Strictland headquarters. He employs a passing wanderer to throw a stick and yell "fetch", causing his change into dog form. He enters the building and uses his sense of smell to make his way to the room with all the animal test subjects.
While in the lab, the canine Dave observes the incapacitation of Strictland by Dr. Kozak. Instead of injected the ailing Strictland with the refined fountain of youth drug, Kozak injects him with a drug that will paralyze him for several months, giving Kozak enough time to complete a takeover of the company. Dave inadvertently reveals his presence with a noise; he is captured and put into a cage. After viewing outside security cameras, Kozak and his minions realize that Dave is the dog they captured. When Kozak sticks his finger in Dave's cage, explaining that now Dave would go through many tests to determine just how he was turned into a dog, Dave takes a leaf out of Khyi-yag-po's book and bites the man's finger. After the humans leave, Dave and all the others transformed by Khyi-yag-po concoct a plan of escape. Khyi-yag-po teaches Dave to turn himself back into a human on purpose, by meditation. Dave calms himself, then in human form breaks down his cage and opens the others. They all pile into a car and drive to the courthouse, where Dave intends to expose the illegal workings of the geneticists whom he has ignorantly backed.
Outside the courthouse, he finds his wife and children. Revealing the truth of his change, he confesses his love for them dramatically--actually during his transformation from dog to man.
Inside, he attempts to show the assembly what is wrong, but only succeeds in doing so when he tricks Kozak into growing a tail. Grant and Strictland (the company) is thrown into disgrace, and Dave is able to spend more time with his family, though some of his canine habits remain. Khyi-yag-po learns to ride surf.
[edit] Cast
- The remake stars
- Tim Allen as Dave Douglas
- Kristin Davis as Rebecca Douglas
- Danny Glover as Ken Hollister
- Philip Baker Hall as Strictland
- Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Kozak
- Zena Grey as Carly Douglas
- Spencer Breslin as Josh Douglas
- Jane Curtin as Judge Claire Whittaker
- Cole as the Shaggy Dog
[edit] Reception
[edit] Box Office
- As of June, 2006, the film has grossed over 60 million dollars in the United States Box Office.
- In the Netherlands, the film debuted at #5 in the Boxoffice Top 10, grossing € 169.982 in that week. As of May 31, 2006, the film has grossed a total of € 187.659.[1]
[edit] Reviews
Many reviews from critics were very mixed. BBC called Allen uninteresting and "only stops short of leg-humping in his attempts to win our affections" [2] Ebert did not enjoy the film either. However, the San Fransisco Chronicle liked it calling it "as good as family entertainment gets" and Reel.com called it "the best of the recent slew of Disney remakes". However, it showed to be a box office success pulling in over $60,000,000 dollars.
[edit] Trivia
- This was the first live-action film enhanced with Disney's FastPlay.
- Tim Allen says the line, "To infinity and beyond!" in this film, which is a reference to Buzz Lightyear. Tim Allen is also the voice of Buzz Lightyear in all two Toy Story films, which were also distributed by Disney.
- Before and after the movie, the Walt Disney Pictures logo turns into a doghouse.
- Actor Jarrad Paul, who played Brad's friend Jason in the TV series Home Improvement (in which Tim Allen also stars), makes an appearance in the film as Larry, one of the scientists.
