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This boy-and-his-dog movie, a nonpareil family film, is, as one of the characters so aptly puts it, "a heartbreak waiting to happen." Frankie Muniz, winning over audiences in the TV series
Malcolm in the Middle, has competition in
My Dog Skip--Skip himself (adorably played by a total of six Jack Russell terriers). Muniz, an inveterate charmer, stars as Willie Morris (from whose memoir the film is adapted), a gawky, awkward boy growing up during World War II under an overly protective father (Kevin Bacon). When his mom (Diane Lane) gives him Skip on his 9th birthday, his life is changed in every way for the better. Previously disinterested peers become pals, and he experiences puppy love with a girl named Rivers (Caitlin Wachs). There are plenty of high jinks and rah-rah touches of Americana, and the film also attempts to deal with sophisticated emotions--Willie's boyhood hero turns out to be less than heroic--but its devastating emotional core comes, simply and obviously, with Skip's eventual aging and demise. Dog lovers will be wiped out; those who don't care for canines shouldn't even be bothering to read this review. (Ages 8 and older)
--David Kronke
Not only will the dog in "My Dog Skip"-an adorable Jack Russell Terrier-make you ooh and aah, but the story will melt your heart. It's sweet and well-told, good entertainment for a Saturday night with the family.
The time: the 1940's, during World War II. Nine-year-old Willie Morris, played by Malcolm In the Middle's Frankie Muniz, is not exactly the tough neighborhood kid. When his only friend, his next-door neighbor and town high school jock named Dink, goes off to war, Willie's left alone-until his parents get him a dog. He and his dog Skip forge a strong and lasting bond, the kind the words "a boy and his dog" have always meant in the deepest sense.
Based on a true story, the tale follows Willie Morris' own childhood memories, poignantly illustrating the struggles of growing up. If you don't own a dog, you'll wish you had one, especially if you have an only child. If you do own a dog, you'll snuggle up with him after the movie is over.
Muniz does a great job of making us laugh and get teary-eyed. Diane Lane is perfect as his mom, and Kevin Bacon is excellent as Willie's stern but loving father. Luke Wilson charms everyone as Willie's changed-by-war neighbor, Dink. Funny and heartwarming, you can enjoy this one with the whole family-again and again. A 2000 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor.
Reviewed by Ann Oldenburg, Parents' Choice® 2000
