The Shaggy Dog (2006 film)

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The Shaggy Dog
Directed by Brian Robbins
Produced by Robert Simonds
Tim Allen
Written by Jack Amiel
Cormac Wibberly
Marianne Wibberly
Michael Begler
Geoff Rodkey
Starring Tim Allen
Kristin Davis
Danny Glover
Craig Kilborn
Robert Downey Jr.
Zena Grey
Music by Alan Menken
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date(s) March 10, 2006
Running time 98 minutes
Language English
Budget $50 million
IMDb profile

The Shaggy Dog is a 2006 adaptation of the 1959 film same name and the sequel, The Shaggy D.A. It was rated PG by the MPAA for some mild rude humor, but according to the DVD website, it is rated G.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Dave Douglas (Tim Allen) is a deputy district attorney. When the film begins, he is prosecuting activists who have broken into and allegedly set fire to the laboratory of pharmaceutical corporation Grant and Strictland, which the activists accuse of deliberately creating genetic freaks while searching for a "Fountain of Youth" that will make them immortal. This distances Douglas from his activist daughter Carly (Zena Grey).

The power-hungry minions of Mister Strictland (the surviving but aged junior partner of the late Grant), led by Dr. Kozak (Robert Downey Jr.), have stolen from a Tibetan Buddhist monastery the dog Khyi-yag-po (played by a bearded collie), whose DNA has a mutation that equips him with an extraordinary lifespan. Seeking to obtain his seeming immortality for themselves, the geneticists carry out several experiments which fail comically; though cell degradation desists in all the test subjects (a bullfrog, rats, a chimpanzee, a cobra, and a capuchin monkey), they all start behaving like dogs. The scientists determine that Khyi-yag-po's mutation is contagious and transmissible by bodily fluids.

Khyi-yag-po manages to escape his cage and is found by Carly Douglas and her friend Trey (Shawn Pyfrom), who are trying to find evidence of the company's animal testing. They bring him home and dub him "Shaggy". When Dave returns from work, he objects to dog's presence and orders it out, but in the process is bitten on the hand. Khyi-yag-po's saliva enters Dave's veins, which infects him with a virus.

Dave begins to exhibit canine behavior such as eating with only his mouth, being territorial in the presence of other dogs, and licking his wife rather than kissing her. When he becomes excited by stimuli associated with dogs, such as the command "Fetch!" or the presence of a cat, he transforms completely into a replica of Khyi-yag-po. When the real Khyi-yag-po is caught by Kozak's lab minions, Dave is mistaken as "Shaggy" and takes his place. His family speak freely in his presence, leading Dave to realize that he is estranged from his family. He learns that his son Josh (Spencer Breslin) wants to sing in the musical Grease instead of playing football, but is too scared to tell his father so. Dave's body changes to normal during sleep, and sometimes during the day when he is meditating.

In the ongoing trial, testimony from the activist accused of setting the lab on fire includes a description of the animals behaving like dogs, which sparks Dave's suspicions about the company he is defending. After his dog-like behavior gets him into trouble, Dave is removed from the case. He decides to take matters into his own hands and infiltrates Grant and Strictland headquarters while in his dog form.

Canine Dave witnesses Dr. Kozak injecting the ailing Strictland with a drug that will paralyze him for several months, giving Kozak enough time to usurp control of the company. Dave inadvertently reveals his presence with a noise, whereupon he is captured and put in a cage. After viewing security cameras, Kozak and his minions realize that the dog they captured is Dave Douglas. When Kozak sticks his finger in Dave's cage to taunt him, Dave bites Kozak's finger.

After the humans leave, Dave and all the others mutated animals concoct a plan of escape. Khyi-yag-po teaches Dave to turn himself back into a human by meditation. Dave calms himself, then in human form breaks down cage and opens the others. They all pile into a car and drive to the courthouse. There, his wife and children are waiting for him, and an emotional reunion takes place.

In the court room, Dave attempts to show the assembly what Kozak has been up to, but only succeeds in doing so when he tricks Kozak into growing a tail. Grant and Strictland is thrown into disgrace, and Dave is able to spend more time with his family, though some of his canine habits remain.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Reception

[edit] Box office

  • The film opened at the theaters with about $16 million. When it ended its run at the box office, the film made a domestic gross of $61,123,569 and a foreign gross of $26,010,711 adding to a worldwide gross of $87,134,280.
  • In the Netherlands, the film debuted at #5 in the Boxoffice Top 10, grossing € 169.982 in that week. As of May 31, 2006, the film has grossed a total of € 187.659.[1]

[edit] Reviews

Many reviews from critics were negative. BBC called Allen uninteresting and "only stops short of leg-humping in his attempts to win our affections"[2] The film was on Richard Roeper's Worst films of 2006 list. Roger Ebert did not enjoy the film either. The movie was nominated for three Razzies, one for Worst Actor, Worst Remake, and "Worst Excuse for Family Entertament". However, the San Francisco Chronicle liked it, calling it "as good as family entertainment gets" and Reel.com called it "the best of the recent slew of Disney remakes".

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Tim Allen says the line, "To infinity and beyond!" in this film, which is a reference to Buzz Lightyear. Tim Allen is also the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the two Toy Story films, which were also distributed by Disney.
  • Before and after the movie, the Walt Disney Pictures logo turns into a doghouse.
  • Actor Jarad Paul, who played Brad's friend Jason in the TV series Home Improvement (in which Tim Allen also stars), makes an appearance in the film as Larry, one of the scientists.
  • In the scene where Kozak enters the laboratory via elevator, and the dog has the syringe full of his viral blood, he freezes, his hands at his side. In the next shot, his hands are up by his face.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Boxoffice NL
  2. ^ The Shaggy Dog (2006)

[edit] External links

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