Customer Reviews

Owd Bob [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the film quality is not like the big budgeted Hollywood films, this flick still carries its intention -- to entertain.

You have an American boy who was recently orphaned and is sent away to live with his grandfather on the Isle of Man. The grandfather was estranged from his daughter for many years after he sent her away so he could afford the farm to keep as a family legacy. He had a hard life when his sheep died and his wife was sick and died, so he had no other choice but to send his daughter away. He even had to sell his champion dog to get by.

When the boy comes to IOM, he meets a girl who doesn't know her mother is dying of cancer. They bond, but the grandfather is against them being together because her family bought his dog when he was desperate.

Around town, some dog has been killing sheep and the other farmers want to kill the dog Zack they think is the sheep killer. Owd Bob caught Zack in the act and chased him away, but the farmers did not see Zack, but Owd Bob covered in sheep's blood.

The boy saw the whole thing and the townspeople did not believe Owd Bob did not kill the sheep. He ran off with the dog and went to his grandfather hoping to clear Owd Bob by turning in his own dog, Zack.

You can pretty much guess what the rest of the movie is about. No profaniy, no nudity, just clean fun. You won't have to answer any embarassing questions when your kids watch.

It is fun and can be seen with kids. Since it is filmed on the isle of Mann it has the dialect which sometimes could use subtitles but not often. This is one of the beautiful places of the United Kingdom that few ever visit and should for the scenery and peace. Perfect movie of what most people think of a time gone by but actually can still be found.

I'm a sucker for Scottish/Irish movies, but it's too bad the guy they picked to be the grandfather here is 100% American, with a phoney accent that comes and goes. Don't get me wrong - he's a nice guy and everything - but I think it was a mistake to pick him and not a native actor. The story is essentially a variation on the Old Yeller theme. Oops, did I give the ending away?

So, let's see, we've cast James Cromwell, yet again, as a taciturn sheep farmer, and there're Border Collies, and trials ... and there the similarity pretty much ends.

Instead, we get two families with several kinds of losses -- dogs, lifestyles, parents -- and a vaguely Hallmark-flavored story of teen (and adult) angst and redemption.

Really, I wanted a different story several times during the climax of the movie, and I'm not even really sure why I'm unhappy with it, except that I think I felt vaguely betrayed. A limp performance from Provencher (the American grandson) doesn't help things any, nor those of the paper tigers who constitute MacAdam's rival farmers.

It was only after I was 3/4 through the movie that I realized I was watching "Bob, Son of Battle" -- a book I read when I was probably 10 years old; if I'd remembered that, I might've been less disappointed.

So, having said what I think's bad about it, what can I say that's good? Beautiful dogs, beautiful country. A really superlative and not-overacted moment from Cromwell at a key point in the movie (I cried, anyway). A good solid performance from Meaney, in fact both the male adult leads are really solid. And actually, it might not be a bad thing that, unlike the Ollivant story, the good guy has the bad dog and the bad guy has the good dog (I hope that didn't spoil it too much).

So, it's an okay movie and I'm not sorry I rented it, but I won't be buying it to own.