Review: The Shaggy Dog

Directed by: Brian Robbins

Written by: Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley, Geoff Rodkey, Jack Amiel, Michael Begler

Starring: Tim Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Kristin Davis, Danny Glover, Spencer Breslin

Rating: [2/5]

Animals represent such a joyous part of life for anyone electing to care for them, which makes it heartbreaking that some are subjected to testing for cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. A heinous practice and one The Shaggy Dog attempts to take on while also operating as a film where a man turns into a dog. There are levels to this. 

Working on an arson case of an activist involving one of the top pharmaceutical corporations, deputy district attorney David Douglas (Tim Allen) seeks to convict the individual. However, when an ancient dog held by the corporation escapes and bites him, he finds himself turning into the same type of dog. He then must try to reverse this change but also receives the opportunity to learn more about his family. 

No other film poster has scarred me more than the one the marketing team somehow employed to sell this movie. One where you have the face of an Old English Sheepdog with the eyes of Tim Allen. An unholy image that keeps me up at night and confounds me why the marketing team did not think it would result in everyone running in the opposite direction. 

Operating at Tim Allen’s height in the mid-2000s releasing the same year as The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, it displays this actor’s zenith as this ultimate father figure. Similarly in this film, he represents a flawed father failing to remain present to the needs of his family while trying to get the promotion to the District Attorney. Turning into a dog allows him to covertly be around his family as they share their true feelings about him when not knowing he’s present in canine form. Thus you have this scenario in the middle of this larger court case, which gets overly silly and just does not work. Don’t get me wrong, it provides several humorous moments but man some of the filmmaking employed becomes difficult to look at. 

As far as lessons go, this feature has its heart in the right place in the way it focuses on the horrors of animal testing and David begins to experience firsthand when he becomes a dog himself. However, when the court case centers on arson and the feature sees animal testing as the smoking gun on the case, the feature becomes muddled on what it needs to prove in order for true justice to be served. It becomes unfocused when the film could have centered its attention on purely animal testing and it could come to an end. Therefore, it leaves this unbalanced story with major gaps left to be filled by some inadequate humor of Tim Allen acting like a dog. 

From growling when he interacts with someone he does not like or automatically running after a stick when thrown away, he sure acts like a dog. This type of humor certainly has its place and serves to entertain kids in seeing this parental figure act in such a silly manner so it’s difficult to truly knock it for how it presents its humor. However, it does not get a complete excuse with some of its bottom-of-the-barrel choices and the grating child acting on display. 

As mediocre as the dialogue proves to be in this feature some of the delivery of it well and truly took me aback. Director Brian Robbins did them absolutely no favors and it surprised me on multiple occasions they chose to go with that particular take in the final presentation. Some of the line delivery had the quality of a Disney Channel Original movie, not one released by the studio in theaters. You have Tim Allen and a surprising Robert Downey Jr. in this right before the complete re-launch of his career with Iron Man and they definitely try their best. 

Well-intentioned and will certainly get some laughs from the kids, this feature still does not cut the mustard of a good film. It presents a court case completely going off the rails and loses all sense of purpose while also delivering on some terrible visual effects when trying to construct a cobra with the tail of an Old English Shepherd. You could have some guilty fun with this movie but that would derive from laughing at it rather than what the feature seeks to make you laugh from.