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 OLD DOGS (THREE-DISC BLU-RAY / DVD COMBO W/ DIGITAL COPY) |
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| Featuring: Robin Williams, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Lori Loughlin |
| Director: Walt Becker |
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Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
| DVD release: 09 March 2010 |
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Runtime: 88 min.
(3 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Blu-ray |
| DVD features: 1080p HD, Aspect ratio 1.85:1, Audio tracks (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English; Dolby Digital 5.1 - French, Spanish, Spanish [Spain]), Subtitles (English, English SDH, French, Spanish), Audio Commentary (dir. Walt Becker, prod. Andrew Panay, writers David Diamond and David Weissman), "Every Little Step" music video (John Travolta and Ella Blue Travolta), "You've Been A Friend To Me" music video (Bryan Adams), "Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks," Deleted scenes, Bloopers
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 OLD DOGS was hit hard by movie critics when it came to theaters, and it's fairly obvious why. Still, this movie is strangely endearing and pretty funny in some parts. I'd hedge a bit before saying it's appropriate for family viewing even though it is rated PG, but older children will definitely enjoy it and may even (as in my family) enjoy it more than the adults.
Best friends and co-workers Dan (Robin Williams) and Charlie (John Travolta) are both confirmed bachelors, but seven years ago while drunkenly celebrating his divorce, Dan married and slept with Vicki (Kelly Preston). Once they discovered what they had done, they separated and went about their lives. Fast-forward to present day. Vicki shows up with twins (played by Ella Bleu Travolta and Conner Rayburn), claiming that Dan is their father. She 's scheduled to go to jail for a few weeks, so she leaves the kids with Dan to watch while she's away. Cue the mishaps, foibles, and triumphs as Dan (helped by Charlie) learns what it means to truly be a father.
OLD DOGS is more touching than it appears on the surface, not all slapstick and humor (although there's quite a bit of that). Dan's discovery about the true meaning of fatherhood really speaks to parents who watch OLD DOGS, despite all its shortcomings. The humor is often fairly ribald and distasteful, and mature adult parents will rile at Dan and Charlie's juvenile middle-aged attitudes about life and responsibilities.
On the other hand, OLD DOGS does boast a good deal of very funny humor, particularly when Dan and Charlie's pills are mixed up, as well as a camping trip with a severely focused Matt Dillon as a quasi-scout master. The combo pack contains the Blu-ray, the regular DVD, and a digital copy for watching on a computer or portable device. The lack of many in-depth special features (other than the standard audio commentary, bloopers and deleted scenes along with a few music videos and the kid stars interviewing the grown-up ones) is disappointing, but maybe the producers decided to cut their losses and just release what they had.
Overall, OLD DOGS is worth watching for older children and parents. If you don't expect too much, you might be pleasantly surprised at the enjoyment you get out of it.
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