This one is for Raider.
Now, I don't normally go to see many Walt Disney movies at the theaters, but was there really any way that I, the owner of a great, hulking BEAST of a Siberian Husky, could get away with waiting to see "Snow Dogs" on video? I mean, Raider (that's *my* snow dog, for those of you who don't know me) has only been talking about this film for months now, running into the room whenever the commercials come on, entering the coloring contest on the movie web site (he didn't win), and buying up any movie collectible he could get his paws on. So yes, I pretty much had to go see this at the theaters, for his sake.
And that is a good thing, because it turned out to be a fun movie.
As a whole the story was nothing new. A dentist from Miami (Cuba Gooding Jr.) finds out he is adopted, heads out for a "northern exposure-like" town in Alaska for the reading of his mother's will (which takes place in the local, rowdy pub, with all the local, rowdy weirdoes on hand) and there he finds out that he has inherited his birth-mother's estate, including a team of sled dogs, who proceed to "take him apart" when he meets them. The dogs all have their own personality, and I saw some of Raider in each and every one of them, but mostly in DEMON, the alpha-male of the pack and the lead dog on the championship team. Make one of Demon's two blue eyes brown.... and you've essentially got my Raider....... attitude and all. Yep, it was sort of eerie at times, as I felt like my own dog had run off and made a movie and didn't bother to tell me (He's like that. I mean, he is 7 years old and I only found out last year that he smokes).
It's your standard "fish out of water" story, with the frozen, misplaced Miami dentist taking a header on a patch of ice or falling in a snow bank every few minutes, making the kids watching howl in slap-stick-ian delight. If you've ever seen a Walt Disney family film, you know how it is all going to end once all of the sub plots are nicely in place, and there ARE quite a few subplots in this film, making the little kids sitting behind me lose interest and start whining whenever the "snow dogs" were not hamming it up on the screen. But all the plotlines fit together for a cute story, and some VERY funny scenes with the dog team doing their best to pitch Cube Gooding Jr. headlong into the nearest snowbank every chance they get... or chew up his luggage... or mutilate his new down jacket.... or....... well, you get the idea.
The entire cast is very strong in this film, and first and foremost kudos must go to the casting director for using Nichelle Nichols as the main character's adopted mother. Nichelle played Lt. Uhura in the Star Trek series and films.... and was rarely in anything else!! She was damn good in this film, and I'd like to see her pop up more often without a Starfleet Communicator the size of a salt shaker shoved in her ear. Also appearing in the film is James "I didn't realize he was even still alive" Coburn as the crusty "Thunder Jack", who wants nothing more than to take the champion dogs off our hero's hands so he can win the great sled dog race that the town sports every year. Brian Doyle Murray (who has appeared in every film ever made since the dawn of history. I'm not kidding) stars as a man with really rotten teeth, which leads to some funny, but obvious jokes at the expense of the Miami dentist who suddenly finds himself the owner of some troublesome sled dogs.
And what kind of man's man would I be if I did not mention the totally hot Eskimo woman that plays the "love interest". She's just my type, you know.... jet black hair, dark eyes, and a body hot enough to cause a January thaw and ruin everyone's ski weekend. Probably the funniest event during the viewing of the film was when she appears in a furry bikini during a dream sequence, and hearing the two pre-pubescent boys sitting in front of me exclaim a reverent, open-jawed, "whoa!". Yeah boys, I liked her too.
But great casting and family-friendly plot aside, the dogs in the film are just too cute for words. They "talk" briefly, during the before-mentioned "dream sequence" (you remember, that part with the Eskimo hottie in the fur bikini), with Jim Belushi supplying the voice of Demon, but all through the movie, thanks to the miracle of modern CGI, they smile, wink, and have all kinds of expressions on their faces, making them seem not so much like just fun-loving dogs, but fun-loving dogs who really are part of a "team" who seem to get a thrill out of making the life of a Miami dentist as rough as possible. Ahd they laughed...... OH, how they laughed.
Would I recommend this film to just about anyone? Well, maybe and maybe not. If you hate snow, and don't like dogs all that much, you may want to avoid it. If you like cute animal movies, or have kids, or both, then go see this fun flick. If you have ever attempted the challenge of living in a house with a 100 pound wrecking-ball with fur, then you must go see this film. It's a "by the book" movie and doesn't break any new trails in movie making (pun intended, of course), but still just a snowplow full of fun.
I just wish I could have taken Raider to the theaters to see it, but he'll just have to wait for it to come out on video. Just the smell of the popcorn in that place would have driven him insane, and if you have ever been lucky enough to meet him, you know that's not all that far of a drive for him. More like just a short paw step away.
But anyway, as usual, until next time, the balcony is condemned (due to heavy snow load).
Dr. Torgo