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OLD DOGSMovie Reviews
Comedy about two single men on the cusp of the biggest business deal of their lives, who are suddenly charged with the care of six year-old twins. Cast:Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Ella Bleu TravoltaDirector:Walter BeckerRelease Date:November 25, 2009DVD Release:March 9, 2010From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr. 28 min.
Old Dogs played to poor reviews. • Leah Rozen wrote in People, "A flaccid, falsely sentimental comedy, it stinks worse than an unbathed basset hound that's been lolling in pig manure for a week." • And Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...so oafish, when it tosses us a biscuit, it feels like we've been smacked with a newspaper." More Reviews Below...
Old Dogs Positive Reviews (28 Reviews, reviews below)
David Germain, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "We all know the answers before the movie starts. The fun is supposed to be in getting there, but 'Old Dogs' is no fun whatsoever, just a collection of stale kibble."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 11/25/09
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "Old Dogs has no new tricks. But there are predictable yuks. And then there are the other yucks: bathroom humor involving humans, canines and other critters."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 11/25/09
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "Medication, incontinence and death are all enlisted as punch lines... none serves as the comedic high point represented by a series of hits to the groin."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 11/25/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: POOR(cg) "...stupefying dimwitted.... It obviously knows no one will find it funny without being ordered to. How else to explain reaction shots of a dog responding to laugh lines?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 11/25/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: POOR "I would rather watch John Travolta and Robin Williams sitting on a tree trunk, doing nothing, than endure their best efforts to energize this ol' hound."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 11/25/09
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: POOR(cg) "...consistently amateurish, as if scenes were edited with hedge clippers, with the actors mugging frantically, waiting for the take to end."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 11/25/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Robin Williams works hard for his paycheck, give him that. I hope he was paid per square inch of bared flesh, much of it shorn of its thick fur coating, for 'Old Dogs.' "(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 11/25/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an excuse for stoned golf, statue destruction, lots of throwaway gags (visual, verbal and physical) and a disappointing climax..."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 11/26/09
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Every aspect of the story is distorted to serve up laughs, which are mostly tepid or nonexistent... moments that are supposed to pay off dramatically just hang there..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 528 words, 11/25/09
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: POOR(cg) "Robin Williams and John Travolta as a couple of aging bachelors who suddenly have twins thrust upon them, delivers everything you'd expect. Which is: not much."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 11/25/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Travolta's and Williams' unpredictability makes for some chortle-worthy slapstick, less of Laurel & Hardy vintage than of Abbott & Costello swill."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 419 words, 11/25/09
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "...what you'd get if Williams and Travolta went out, got hammered, scrawled scenes on a bar napkin in random order, gave the napkin to Walt Becker, and filmed it."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 11/25/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "There are no new tricks... a cheesy chew-toy of a comedy... so oafish, when it tosses us a biscuit, it feels like we've been smacked with a newspaper."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 324 words, 11/25/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "We get the squish-faced Robin Williams here, one of those films where his face and body give away how deflated this material makes him feel."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 462 words, 11/25/09
Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "Robin Williams works hard for his paycheck, give him that. I hope he was paid per square inch of bared flesh, much of it shorn of its thick fur coating, for 'Old Dogs.' "(See all of Robert Wilonsky's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 11/25/09
Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...the cringingly unfunny fart, crotch, and urine gags uncork at 15-minute intervals; racist and homophobic jokes are equally well paced."(See all of Alicia Potter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 11/26/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an excuse for stoned golf, statue destruction, lots of throwaway gags (visual, verbal and physical) and a disappointing climax..."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 11/26/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: POOR "I would rather watch John Travolta and Robin Williams sitting on a tree trunk, doing nothing, than endure their best efforts to energize this ol' hound."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 11/25/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "When in doubt -- or in desperate need for anything cute or funny -- director Walt Becker can always cut to Travolta's dog. Yes, of course, he's old."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 11/24/09
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: POOR "I would rather watch John Travolta and Robin Williams sitting on a tree trunk, doing nothing, than endure their best efforts to energize this ol' hound."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 11/25/09
19.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Old Dogs's reviews are separated by an average 19.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Old Dogs (28 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Old Dogs's reviews cover 53.2% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,479 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 410 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Old Dogs Coverage, Volume & Length (28 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 18.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Old Dogs's reviews on average broke 18.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Old Dogs's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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