8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bingo! Right on target., May 9, 2004
I used to watch this movie all the time. Not so much because it's one of the greatest dog-centric films ever made, but just because of its pleasing nature. It's cute, it's funny, and charming, and entertaining. It doesn't go overboard in any of those areas, but has just enough of each to make it a nice movie to watch. Somewhat geared toward adults language-wise? Perhaps, yes. But there's nice acting from dogs and people alike and some memorable scenes (and, yes, some violent ones). But naturally, Bingo always comes through and saves the day. This is a fun family film.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not great, not bad. There are better animal flicks., November 12, 2006
If I had to categorize Bingo, it is definitely intended more as a pet comedy than as a pet adventure. In fact, some of the comedy is to the point of absurdity when people treat Bingo as a human. Regarding the focus, the film bounces back and forth between being exclusively about the dog or about the boy & his family.
Pretty standard plot devices: 1) Remarkable dog who is unwanted & unappreciated by adults. 2) An oddball family with a mean older brother, over-protective mother, and a preoccupied father who wants to toughen up his youngest son. 3) Typical inept villains - a stupid, mean one who thinks he's not stupid and an even stupider, dopey one who doesn't know any better. 4) The dog saves the day and eventually endears himself to everyone.
I bought this as a family film to watch with my 4yo son, but it is rated PG for good reason. Bingo is really not for younger children. Lots of unnecessary language - GD, s**t, da**it, smarta**, hell, and a couple lesser phrases that you may not want your young ones incorporating into their daily vocabulary - some shut-ups, stupids, jerks, nuts, and dumbs. What stuck out is that this was a family movie and the language seemed completely unnecessary. It sure didn't add anything.
A few disturbing scenes for young viewers - hot dogs made out of real dog, a couple scenes of children looking at adult magazines, a scene of a vehicle crashing into a storefront with people in a cage in back, a prostitute in a hotel room, a kidnapped family all tied up, heavy gunfire, knife fight, and so on.
Lots of uncouth humor - pee and poo gags, dog gender jokes, and the like. Funny to older children, but maybe not appropriate for younger ones.
Some good gags - traffic cop giving the dog a sobriety test, the dog driving a car, a court reporter reading back the dog's testimony, and evading search lights in a prison yard.
All in all, it's not a bad film, just not worth any special praise either. It's mediocre.
If you don't already own them, there are plenty of better dog adventures - Milo & Otis, Homeward Bound, Napoleon, Eight Below; as well as better dog comedies - live-action 101 Dalmatians, Babe, Air Bud, Beethoven, and so on.
Aspect ratio is standard, full-frame 1.33:1.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
And Awful Was Its NAME-O, August 13, 2008
This movie will only be appreciated by the youngest of crowds...so WHY ALL THE BAD LANGUAGE? It's touted as a "Family" film..what family would want to sit around watching little kids cuss and give each other the finger?
Maybe it's for an older audience? Ummm...no. The dog drives a car, has a one night stand, testifies in court, gets a nasal membrane transplant (b/c his smeller has worked too hard), administers CPR...Need I go on? Oh...and he spends much of the movie tracking down his human friend who has left him a URINE trail to follow. No wonder his smeller needs to be replaced.
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