A formulaic family film that scores enough points to draw a decent audience in its theatrical release, Disney's "Air Bud" does not show a dog slam-dunking on a basketball court as in the film's print ads, but it's got plenty of furry footwork and a nose for easy shots at emotional manipulation.
Directed by Charles Martin Smith from a screenplay credited to Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn, "Air Bud" is less rowdy than the "Mighty Ducks" films and closer to "The Secret Garden", with brooding young Josh (Kevin Zegers) discovering an overgrown basketball court and meeting his tail-wagging, soon-to-be best pal.
In a clunky opening, the golden retriever star (Buddy) is shown enduring his humiliating life as a costumed attraction for a bad party clown dubbed Norm Snively (Michael Jeter), who drives the requisite falling-apart pickup. The unnamed canine slips off the truck and hides from people, which is what dadless Josh wants to do since moving to a new mountain home with his family.
His mom (Wendy Makkena) is gentle and fair, but Josh doesn't talk a lot and misses playing basketball with his father, a test pilot killed in the line of duty. Along comes Buddy, who can butt the ball like a seal into the basket. Buddy does run into trouble more than once -- with destructive physical comedy the result -- but on the court he's a barking show-off with the chops.
Josh and Buddy become major attractions in the junior high school basketball program and the team heads toward the finals, but there are numerous complications, including a jerky rival (Brendan Fletcher) on the team, the rival's super-jerky dad (Norman Browning), a former NBA legend (Bill Cobbs) who's also hiding from the world, and the repulsive slob Snively, who succeeds in taking the dog back.
Poor Buddy has to wear another costume and watch Josh lead his team to glory, while the filmmakers are more concerned with overdoing the kid-tells-dog-to-get-lost scene than questioning the collective lust for glory that drives junior hoopsters and adults to such paroxysms in an otherwise bucolic setting.
Appearing only at the end, Eric Christmas is crowd-pleasingly over-the-top as the crotchety judge who allows Buddy to choose an owner. There's little in the way of surprises, and a few cute running gags have to go a long way. The strongest team players, Zegers, Makkena and Cobbs admirably stay in game face as they share the ball with Buddy.
Owned by trainer Kevin DiCicco, Buddy is already a media sensation with "22,000 career baskets" and countless personal appearances. He steals the movie at every opportunity. Director Smith does not handle all aspects with equal success, but he keeps this mongrel production from straying into fantasyland.
AIR BUD
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents
in association with Keystone Pictures
A Robert Vince production
Director Charles Martin Smith
Writers Paul Tamasy, Aaron Mendelsohn
Producers Robert Vince, William Vince
Executive producers Michael Strange,
Anne Vince
Director of photography Mike Southon
Production designer Elizabeth Wilcox
Editor Alison Grace
Music Brahm Wenger
Casting Abra Edelman, Elisa Goodman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Norm Snively Michael Jeter
Josh Framm Kevin Zegers
Jackie Framm Wendy Makkena
Arthur Chaney Bill Cobbs
Judge Cranfield Eric Christmas
Buddy/Air Bud Buddy
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Directed by Charles Martin Smith from a screenplay credited to Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn, "Air Bud" is less rowdy than the "Mighty Ducks" films and closer to "The Secret Garden", with brooding young Josh (Kevin Zegers) discovering an overgrown basketball court and meeting his tail-wagging, soon-to-be best pal.
In a clunky opening, the golden retriever star (Buddy) is shown enduring his humiliating life as a costumed attraction for a bad party clown dubbed Norm Snively (Michael Jeter), who drives the requisite falling-apart pickup. The unnamed canine slips off the truck and hides from people, which is what dadless Josh wants to do since moving to a new mountain home with his family.
His mom (Wendy Makkena) is gentle and fair, but Josh doesn't talk a lot and misses playing basketball with his father, a test pilot killed in the line of duty. Along comes Buddy, who can butt the ball like a seal into the basket. Buddy does run into trouble more than once -- with destructive physical comedy the result -- but on the court he's a barking show-off with the chops.
Josh and Buddy become major attractions in the junior high school basketball program and the team heads toward the finals, but there are numerous complications, including a jerky rival (Brendan Fletcher) on the team, the rival's super-jerky dad (Norman Browning), a former NBA legend (Bill Cobbs) who's also hiding from the world, and the repulsive slob Snively, who succeeds in taking the dog back.
Poor Buddy has to wear another costume and watch Josh lead his team to glory, while the filmmakers are more concerned with overdoing the kid-tells-dog-to-get-lost scene than questioning the collective lust for glory that drives junior hoopsters and adults to such paroxysms in an otherwise bucolic setting.
Appearing only at the end, Eric Christmas is crowd-pleasingly over-the-top as the crotchety judge who allows Buddy to choose an owner. There's little in the way of surprises, and a few cute running gags have to go a long way. The strongest team players, Zegers, Makkena and Cobbs admirably stay in game face as they share the ball with Buddy.
Owned by trainer Kevin DiCicco, Buddy is already a media sensation with "22,000 career baskets" and countless personal appearances. He steals the movie at every opportunity. Director Smith does not handle all aspects with equal success, but he keeps this mongrel production from straying into fantasyland.
AIR BUD
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents
in association with Keystone Pictures
A Robert Vince production
Director Charles Martin Smith
Writers Paul Tamasy, Aaron Mendelsohn
Producers Robert Vince, William Vince
Executive producers Michael Strange,
Anne Vince
Director of photography Mike Southon
Production designer Elizabeth Wilcox
Editor Alison Grace
Music Brahm Wenger
Casting Abra Edelman, Elisa Goodman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Norm Snively Michael Jeter
Josh Framm Kevin Zegers
Jackie Framm Wendy Makkena
Arthur Chaney Bill Cobbs
Judge Cranfield Eric Christmas
Buddy/Air Bud Buddy
Running time -- 101 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.