Review of Old Dogs (2009) by Richard S — 05 Dec 2010
I couldn't stop laughing on people getting hit in the nuts by golf balls, but that, at least, is worth a smile. Not so the moment Dan (Robin Williams) enters a tanning booth and - gasp! - ends up turning browner than an M&M thanks to an operational mishap. And when he and Charlie (John Travolta) discuss their complicated regime of pills and their side-effects, you can be sure that within minutes they'll be taking the wrong ones by mistake, leading to all sorts of high jinks. It's light entertainment in the truest sense of the word, being light on both laughs and substance.
Williams and Travolta as two lifelong friends and business partners share a remarkably poor chemistry.
In the film's favour is that the youngsters, Emily and Zach - the former played by Travolta's real-life daughter, Ella Beau - are likable rather than cloying, Seth Green is, sadly, under-used, and the fact that everyone has to mug so hard for their laughs is an unfortunate consequence of the writing just not being funny enough.
This review of Old Dogs (2009) was written by Richard S on 05 Dec 2010.
Old Dogs has generally received mixed reviews.
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