Kevin Bacon Movie:

				Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
This boy-and-his-dog movie, a nonpareil family film, is, as one of the characters so aptly puts it, "a heartbreak waiting to happen." Frankie Muniz, winning over audiences in the TV series Malcolm in the Middle, has competition in My Dog Skip--Skip himself (adorably played by a total of six Jack Russell terriers). Muniz, an inveterate charmer, stars as Willie Morris (from whose memoir the film is adapted), a gawky, awkward boy growing up during World War II under an overly protective father (Kevin Bacon). When his mom (Diane Lane) gives him Skip on his 9th birthday, his life is changed in every way for the better. Previously disinterested peers become pals, and he experiences puppy love with a girl named Rivers (Caitlin Wachs). There are plenty of high jinks and rah-rah touches of Americana, and the film also attempts to deal with sophisticated emotions--Willie's boyhood hero turns out to be less than heroic--but its devastating emotional core comes, simply and obviously, with Skip's eventual aging and demise. Dog lovers will be wiped out; those who don't care for canines shouldn't even be bothering to read this review. (Ages 8 and older) --David Kronke

My Dog Skip [Region 2] Reviews:
Adorable
2009-11-02 - Willie is a lonely 9-year old growing up in rural Mississippi in the forties. Then he meets his first real pal, his wonderful dog Skip, who gives him the confidence to make friends, play sports, and grow up.

Anyone who has ever loved a pet will love this movie. Just the title is enough to tell you it's going to be sweet and sentimental and it is, but not overly so. Talented Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) plays Willie with so much innocence and spirit that you believe everything he does. Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane play his parents and of course, there is Skip, the irresistible Jack Russell terrier who will surely melt your heart.

Subplots including WWII, segregation, and moonshiners are all seen through a child's eyes and there is the same sense of wonder that made To Kill a Mockingbird such a remarkable movie. This is, of course, a tear-jerker but it's a good cry. Highly recommended for the whole family.

GREAT DVD
2009-09-23 - THIS IS AN ADORABLE STORY. I HAVE WATCHED THIS MOVIE SEVERAL TIMES. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS DVD IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SWEET MOVIE THIS IS IT.

Tear Jerker :(
2009-09-12 - Hubby had this movie on on one of the movie channels on TV. We didn't see the beginning but did see the end. Might I say I cried like a baby! We purchased it & shared it with other family members who also loved it. Very good family movie.

A gentle, happy, and intelligent movie for the entire family (finally).
2009-08-16 - MY DOG SKIP takes place in Yazoo, Mississippi during World War II. The characters include a boy, Kevin Bacon (famous movie star) as the boy's father, the boy's mother, Luke Wilson (Reese Witherspoon's lawyer boyfriend in LEGALLY BLONDE), three boys who are bullies, and two moonshiners (the evil element). One of the moonshiners is Clint Howard (brother of Ronnie Howard -- former boy actor from THE MUSIC MAN and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW). Also, the characters include Skip (a dog), played by a young dog and an old dog.

The story is episodic and has no real plot except for the fact that the story takes place on the stage of life. If there is any real plot, it is the fact that the boy is initially a sissy and is picked on by a trio of three bullies (a fat boy, a dirty-faced boy, and a blank-expressioned boy). But the birthday gift of a dog has the effect of making the boy somewhat more popular. The boy is initiated as a friend with the three bullies. The intiation takes the form of an evening spent in the town graveyard. Thereafter, the four boys become friends, and play baseball together. Eventually, when Skip (the dog) runs away from home, the three bullies (formerly bullies, now friends) help to look for the dog.

Skip the dog serves as a common theme for the movie, which helps overcome the fact that the film consists of a bunch of "situations" or "episodes." These situations, many of which are bittersweet, include the following:

(1) Kevin Bacon is a sour-pussed father and initially threatens to get rid of the dog, a gift for the boy's birthday. The father warns that the family should not have a dog, because dogs eventually die and cause grief in children. But the mom refuses to get rid of the dog, whisks the father's cigar from his mouth, and puts the cigar in her own mouth, in an act of defiance. The dog is kept in the family.

(2) Two bad men (moonshiners) go about their business by hiding bottles of liquor in a stone building in the town graveyard. This adds suspense and scariness to the movie. The bad men are too scary for children of the age of six and below. But children of seven or above might find them intriguing and not too scary. Ron Howard's brother Clint is instantly recognizable, because of his ugliness. Towards the end of the movie, one of the bad men whacks the dog with a shovel. The dog appears near death. But with the help of a veterinarian, the dog is revived.

(3) The older boy living next door (Luke Wilson) is initially the town hero, at least among children, because he is good at high school sports. However, upon joining the war effort, he proves to be a coward on the battlefield in Europe. When he returns home, the film discloses that he has become an alcoholic.

(4) Skip is a popular dog in the town of Yazoo, and the butcher provides him with scraps of meat, and the townsfolk wave to him as he trots up and down the sidewalks of Yazoo.

(5) The boy tries to enroll Skip as an army dog. But at the recruiting office, Skip flunks the obedience test. When asked to sit the dog lies down. When asked to roll over, the dog chases his own tail.

MY DOG SKIP is notable for the intelligent writing of its episodes. MY DOG SKIP is also to be commended for the skillful acting. One can easily name a half dozen children's movies that are contrived, stupid, or acted with the subtlety of THE THREE STOOGES. In contrast, MY DOG SKIP is a welcome breath of thespian fresh air.

In passing, I might name another finely acted movie about a child (a little boy) that deals with separation of a boy from his mother, and eventual re-joinder. This fine movie is: UNDER THE SAME MOON, featuring, Eugenio Derbez, Kate del Castillo, Adrian Alonso, and Maya Zapata.


Gripping, tugs at the heart
2009-07-27 - Only recently had a chance to watch this movie on cable. Very heartwarming and touching, and in a most believably sincere way. I think it's a movie which many of us can relate to. Frankie Muniz gave a great performance which truly tugged at the heart. Loved it!