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Snow Dogs 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Brian Levant
PG, 97 min. (mild crude humor) |
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Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., James Coburn, Joanna Bacalso, Nichelle Nichols, M. Emmet Walsh, Sisqo, Graham Greene (II), Brian Doyle-Murray, Jean Michel Paré
Producer: Jordan Kerner
Screenplay: Jim Kouf, Tommy Swerdlow, Michael Goldberg, Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin
Cinematography: Thomas Ackerman
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Released: 1.18.02 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Maybe the best thing that can be said about Snow Dogs is that the film is nothing like its teaser trailer. But, unfortunately,
the story is still so pedestrian and contrived that it hardly matters what the marketers of the film used to promote the
movie. The trailer hinted at speaking dogs and their antics at torturing a "newcomer" to the far north; however, instead
we only get a few winks and nods and moronic smiles that supposedly let the audience know that they're up to something.
Ooooh. Well, that's a whole lot better, right? No. Unbelievably simpleton and lazy in its direction (the many inconsistencies
are too many to count), Snow Dogs' goal to garner laughs is successful - only the laughs are at the film's flimsy construction
rather than at its effectiveness as a comedy.
Ted (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is a successful dentist from Miami who is suddenly beckoned to appear at the reading of his
natural mother's will and testament in Alaska. His trek to Alaska is juiced for all its worth, the obvious cliches apply here,
and he arrives in the small, icy town ready to receive his inheritance. He meets Barb (Joanna Bacalso), a local bartender
who immediately likes him, and also his long-lost father, Thunder Jack (James Coburn), a grizzly unsociable old man who
is only interested in Ted's newly-inherited sled dogs. Ted is ready to sell off all the property and leave when he learns
of Thunder Jack's importance to him. Now he must learn to mush to uncover the hidden truth of his past.
It's pretty obvious that Disney would attempt to derive its humor from pairing a black man from the South with snow,
Siberian Huskies, and nature. There's nothing here that we haven't seen before in a variety of similar comedies, and
as a result the film quickly becomes tedious and unbearable. At times it's very difficult to stay concentrated on such a
childish plot, especially when pondering what you'll do after the film's credits have finally arrived. Snow Dogs is
bland, stale, and laughably predictable. It's an endeavor that seems hardly worth the production costs, since I can't foresee it
making much money at the box office.
Cuba Gooding Jr. is a good actor, but his lack of better judgment has led to embarassing roles such as this one and
other dubious ones in Road Trip or Pearl Harbor. James Coburn is at least watchable, although not terrific, and Joanna
Bacalso is beautiful but restrained in what she's allowed to do here. In fact, I hate to admit it, but the dogs are the
best part of the film. They may not talk, but their actions and reactions are enough to garner some praise from the many
dog lovers out there.
Disney has faltered in recent years after a nice run of good films in the early 90s. I'm not sure if they're strategy has
changed, or maybe their most imaginative writers have retired or quit, but surely an enterprise as profitable as Disney
could produce better quality than this. Compared to The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast, Snow Dogs is a disgrace
to the Walt Disney name.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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